Diversity Survey And Artificial Attraction Evaluation Of Insectivorous Birds In The South Part Of Xinjiang

As an indicator of biodiversity and the function of ecosystem, avian community plays an important role in either the natural or artificial ecosystem. Insectivorous birds, as an important group of avian community, can increase plant growth by consuming herbivorous insects and reducing insect damage. Investigation on the avian community, its habitats and their relationship can contribute to better understanding the role of bird community in ecosystem and the relationship between insectivorous birds and environmental protection.In 2009 and 2010, a survey on bird community was carried out in south part of Mt. Tuomuer. Total of 87 species, which belong to 11 orders and 30 families were recorded. Among them,28 (32.2%) species of northern type,28 (32.2%) species of northern widespread type,16 (18.4%) species of widespread type,13 (14.9%) species of Central-Asian type,2 (2.3%) species of highland type.In order to study more thoroughly, we selected four typical habitats which including orchard, farmland, shelter belt and desert to study diversity of bird communities in four seasons. And all bird species were grouped into omnivorous, insectivorous, granivorous, and predators based on their diet to classify the foraging guild. The results showed that bird species richness of orchard was greatest, while the desert was lowest. Among the four habitats, share of density of omnivorous was highest while share of species of insectivorous was highest. The characteristics of the four bird communities in four seasons were following: The number of birds counted was highest in spring and then in autumn, summer and winter consequently. The sequence of diversity was:spring>autumn>winter>summer. Compares to Aksu Region, the bird density of the orchards of Korla City was lower but species richness was higher.The survey on artificial nests showed that the utilization percentage in spring is highest among the four seasons and density of sparrow in the spot near by the artificial nests (within 40m radius) is significantly higher than average. At the same time, biodiversity was lower in the artificial attraction area because of there were too much sparrows.In the mean time we completed a total of 216 survey interviews in the orchards of the study area. The questionnaire we designed was structured around questions on the topic of fruit grower's opinions about insect pest management, bird conservation and includes brief profiles the grower's social background. The results showed that pest management was a great concern to all types of orchard growers and more-than half of them would like to attract more birds to their orchards. In our study, the age, income level, education level and the orchard type of the fruit growers had significant effect to their opinions about bird protection.The result shows younger fruit growers with higher education levels are more likely to recognize harmful environmental effects. They were more willing to adopt new technologies that have less impact on the environment. And fruit growers with a higher income show an increased adoption of conservation techniques. But the fruit growers who experienced fruit damage caused by birds, particularly apple and pear growers, hesitated to increase bird populations on their farms. Our findings suggested that-more education or guidance is needed to improve fruit growers'awareness of bird conservation.