Comparison Of Foraging Habitat Of Oriental White Stork In Different Seasons In Honghe Nature Reserve

In spring, summer and autumn in 2007 in Honghe National Nature Reserve in Heilongjiang, by the use of observation, sampling methods, combining with statistic methods such as T test, chi-square test, principal component analysis, distances correlation analysis and so on, the foraging habitat selection of Oriental White Stork (Ciconia boyciana) was studied, and three seasons of foraging habitat selection of Oriental White Stork were compared. The results showed that during different season's differences of plant types in foraging habitat of Oriental White Stork is obvious. Calamagrostis angustifolia, Carex lasiocarpa and Carex appendiculata are dominant species in spring, Calamagrostis angustifolia, Glyceria spiculosa, Carex lasiocarpa and Salix myrtilloides are dominant species in summer, while Glyceria spiculosa and Carex lasiocarpa are dominant species in autumn.T test showed that between spring and autumn, summer and autumn, spring and summer differences of plant cover, plant density, and water depth are significant and plant height differences are not significant.Chi-square test showed that during spring, summer and autumn affection of water flow conditions, water bottom conditions and the distance from anthropogenic interference-these three term factors to the differences of foraging habitat selection of Oriental White Stork are significant, these are major impact factors of foraging habitat selection. Combining with the frequency analysis and the percentage of three seasons can get, in spring, summer and autumn Oriental White Stork all like to use hydrostatic environment, rare to use of flowing water environment in foraging habitat selection and are keen to exploit from habitat whose distance from anthropogenic interference is above 2000 m, and rare to use of 1000 m-2000 m and less than 1000m. Foraging habitat selection to the water bottom of Oriental White Stork is different during different seasons: It likes to use putrefied grass bottom, less use oozy and hard mire bottom in spring; It likes to use oozy bottom, less use putrefied grass and hard mire bottom in summer; It likes to use hard mire bottom, and less use putrefied grass and oozy bottom in autumn in habitat.Principal component analysis of foraging habitat selection of Oriental White Stork during three seasons showed that the main factors of foraging habitat selection of Oriental White Stork have some differences during three seasons. The main factors of foraging habitat selection of Oriental White Stork in spring are hidden factor, water factor, vegetation factor and food-factor; the main factor of foraging habitat selection of Oriental White Stork is hidden factor in summer; the main factors of foraging habitat selection of Oriental White Stork are water factor, food factor and hidden factor in autumn. Distances correlation analysis of foraging habitat selection of Oriental White Stork during three seasons showed that foraging habitat selection of Oriental White Stork have great similarity between summer and autumn, while have small similarity between spring and summer, spring and autumn. The un-similarity of foraging habitat selection of Oriental White Stork is great between spring and autumn, spring and summer, while have small un-similarity between summer and autumn.