Winter Bird Diversity and Abundance in Small Farmlands in a Megacity of Southern China

Urban expansion often accompanies a loss of natural habitats and arable lands but an increase in urban population. In China, vegetable-dominant small farmlands are common urban/peri-urban areas. Some also associated with government policy that aims to enhance local farmers’ livelihoods as well food availability for city citizens. While create open greenery cover may provide birds resources such shelter, little attention has been given understanding bird diversity farmlands. Using two hierarchical models (multi-species occupancy model N-mixture model), we examined how species richness abundance were environmental characteristics within surrounding Guangzhou, one the largest cities China. We conducted crop surveys at during winter seasons between December 2019 January 2021. Species increased non-woody (herbaceous) vegetation farmland. Abundance three was positively variable. Two more abundant higher diversity. Compositional features matrix farmland (a 500-m circular area) did not affect richness. However, tended decrease increasing fragmentation (patch density farmlands) 1-km area. These findings suggest (1) could be influenced by than farmlands, (2) uncultivated herbaceous is important feature, (3) diverse crops benefit some birds. They indicate landscape pattern degree fragmentation,