Study on Features of Avifauna in the Ordos Plateau in Inner Mongolia

In this study,the transect method and fixed-radius sample plot method were used to carry out the detailed surveys on birds in the Ordos Plateau in Inner Mongolia in 2005 and during the period of 2008-2009.During the investigations,168 bird species in 14 orders and 39 families were recorded.Among them 31 species were residents,73 species summer visitors,60 species migrants and 4 species winter visitors.There were 104 species of breeding birds,and they had significant advantages and constituted the main body of avifauna.There were 92 middle-and northern-boundary breeding bird species,accounting for 88.5% of the total,and the northern-boundary species was absolutely dominant.The elements of Palaearctic realm played the important roles in the avifauna.Among the birds,5 species were listed as national first-grade protected wildlife in China,and 21 species as the second-grade ones.There were 5 kinds of habitats in the study area,i.e.the forestlands,thicket grasslands,wetlands,farmlands and residential areas.Survey results revealed that human activities affected significantly the birds avifauna.