Effects of Urban Green Spaces on Birds in a City with High Forest Cover in East China

Urban green spaces play an important role in supporting bird communities, but the impact of urban green spaces in areas with high forest cover on urban birds remains unclear. This study focuses on the city of Huangshan in East China, which has a high forest cover, and selects 29 sampling plots within four urban green spaces in the central urban area. The bird species and bird number in the sample plots were counted, we also estimated patch density and diversity index and vegetation characteristics (vertical forest structure, vegetation coverage, number of evergreen deciduous tree species, and fruit-bearing plants) as habitat characteristics affecting bird diversity. The results showed that heterogeneous plots (i.e. areas composed of various habitat patches) exhibited a richer avian communities, including greater species diversity and bird abundance than the pure forest areas. It was found that patch density, patch diversity index, vegetation coverage and shrub plants had significant effects on the bird community, but deciduous trees, vertical forest structure had more significant effects on bird community in the heterogeneous plots. These findings will help refine the spatial layout patterns of urban green spaces and optimize plant allocation for enhanced environmental impact.