Responses of bird communities to riparian park habitat factors: a case study in a highly urbanized area of Fuzhou city, China

Urban riverside parks are important habitats for fall wildlife, but the relationship between birds and habitats in highly urbanized areas is unclear. Our study was to explore relationship with avian species and habitat factors. From October to November (fall of 2021), we studied 34 park transects in urban Fuzhou, China using remote sensing and field observations. We analyzed the data using Pearson, stepwise regression, and RDA. Woodland bird diversity was negatively correlated with water area and bare ground. Waterbird diversity positively associated with water area but negatively affected by landscape diversity and woodland proportions. Woodland areas primarily determined omnivorous bird composition. Waterbird species were positively influenced by water area but negatively impacted by woodland, grassland areas, and distance to the riverbank. Landscape factors had a greater influence on woodland birds, waterbirds, residency types, and feeding bird communities, while spatial factors had a smaller impact. Our research highlights that efforts to create bird habitats in highly urban areas should prioritize managing landscape factors to better match avian preferences in habitat creation and conservation.