Arid Zone Research ›› 2025, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (10): 1899-1912.doi: 10.13866/j.azr.2025.10.13

• Ecology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Bird community diversity and influencing factors in the Taiyangshan wind farm of Ningxia

YANG Ying1(), LI Qin1, WANG Yuan1, YANG Guijun1, TIAN Jinhua1, LI Xiong2, ZHANG Dazhi1()   

  1. 1. College of Life Sciences, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, Ningxia, China
    2. China Huaneng Ningxia Energy Company Limited, Yinchuan 750004, Ningxia, China
  • Received:2025-04-11 Revised:2025-06-21 Online:2025-10-15 Published:2025-10-22
  • Contact: ZHANG Dazhi E-mail:yangy5773@nxu.edu.cn;zdz313@nxu.edu.cn

Abstract:

The desert and semi-desert grassland zones in northwestern China are regions of high wind energy potential. However, the impacts of large-scale centralized wind farms on bird populations and their key influencing factors are not fully understood. This study investigated the bird communities and associated environmental factors using a grid sampling approach in the Ningxia Taiyangshan wind farm, during the spring and autumn of 2024. The results showed that the bird community diversity in wind farm grids was lower than that in the control grids. Wind turbine density and rated power significantly influenced bird community diversity, with regions containing wind turbines of medium rated power (2000 kW) exhibiting higher bird community diversity. However, the intensity of noise due to wind farm operation had no significant effect on bird community diversity, whereas electromagnetic radiation levels were significantly correlated with the Pielou evenness index of birds during the spring season. Distance to the nearest wind turbine was identified as the primary factor influencing bird community diversity, as avian species exhibit a certain degree of avoidance behavior toward wind turbines. Additionally, wind turbine size, flora richness, and plant height were the key factors affecting bird diversity. Therefore, in the planning and construction of wind farms in desert and semi-desert grassland zones, synergistic optimization of bird biodiversity conservation and green energy development can be achieved by increasing the spacing between turbines to reduce turbine density, prioritizing the installation of wind turbines with medium-rated power capacity, and implementing targeted enhancement of plant species richness and average plant height within wind farm areas.

Key words: wind farm, bird diversity, environmental factors, semi-desert grassland, Ningxia