Effects of urban green space on bird community: A case study of Huangshan City Center

Urban green space plays an important role in supporting bird communities, but the specific effects of urban green space elements on the spatial distribution of urban birds are not very clear. This study focused on small-scale urban green space and selected 29 sample plots from 4 urban green spaces in downtown Huangshan in 2023. The bird species and number in the sample plots were counted, we also collected the patch area, patch density and diversity index and vegetation characteristics (vertical forest structure, coverage, evergreen deciduous tree species, flowering, and fruit-bearing plants) as landscape pattern that affecting bird diversity. The results showed that 1) non-pure forest area exhibited a rich composition of avian communities, including greater species diversity and bird numbers than that in the pure forest area. 2) The characteristics of non-pure forest areas are noticeable. For landscape characteristics, the patch density and the patch diversity index of the non-pure forest samples were higher;. in term of species characteristics, there were no significant differences in tree and deciduous species between pure and non-pure forest, but significant differences in forest facies, coverage, shrub, and evergreen, flower- and fruit-bearing plants; the observed coverage value of non-pure forest samples was lower than that of pure forest samples, but higher than that of pure forest samples regarding forest facies, shrubs, evergreen and fruit-bearing plants. 3) Patch density, patch diversity index, vegetation cover degree and shrub plants had significant effects on the bird community, but deciduous plants, vertical structure of forest phase and fruit-bearing plants had more significant effects on bird community in the non-pure forest area. These findings will help refine the spatial layout patterns of urban green spaces and optimize plant allocation for enhanced environmental impact.