Wetland bird utilisation of ephemerally flooded rice paddies in late winter snowmelt season in central Japan

• Rice paddies as agricultural wetlands act as stopover sites for migratory birds. • A few IUCN-listed wetland avian species were observed in snowmelt-created wetlands of paddies. • Proximities to waterbody marginally influenced wetland bird abundance and diversity • Conservation of ephemeral agricultural wetlands enhances biodiversity in rice paddies. This study highlights the importance of rice paddies in snow-rich regions of central Japan as habitat for wetland bird species during snow-melting late winter season. During the study period, we recorded seven wetland species, including waders, egrets, and waterfowls. The abundance and richness of these birds were not significantly associated with the patch size of rice paddies. However, bird abundance presented a marginally positive association with the coverage of open water bodies within the landscape, while species richness showed a marginal relationship with the distance to the nearest water body. Our findings suggest that snowmelt-created wetlands may provide functions as critical stopover sites for migratory birds along the East Asian-Australian Flyway, and that enhancing water features in agricultural landscapes may yield greater conservation benefits than simply modifying the patch size of agricultural wetlands.