Adaptive responses of behavior patterns of Siberian cranes under farming activities

<bold>Objective</bold> The Siberian crane（<italic>Leucogeranus leucogeranus</italic>）is a critically endangered bird species in the world，and its migratory stopovers are often accompanied by farming activities.The purpose of this study is to explore the behavioral expression and adaptive response of Siberian cranes under farming activities，thus providing a scientific basis for the conservation of Siberian cranes under farming activities. <bold>Method</bold> In 2023—2024，the instantaneous scanning sampling method was used to observe the behavior of Siberian cranes in the Tumuji Nature Reserve，and a series of analyses were conducted to analyze the expression of Siberian cranes’ behavior patterns，diurnal rhythms，seasonal changes，and differences in growth and youngness of Siberian cranes accompanied by farming activities. <bold>Result</bold> （1）Under high-intensity farming activities，the Siberian crane would increase resting behavior to reduce its own energy consumption，while the Siberian crane would be mainly defensive under medium-intensity interference，and long-distance and low-disturbance might trigger exploratory movement.（2）The Siberian crane adapts to changes in farming activities by changing the rhythm of daily activities，such as avoiding peak periods of farming activities and dynamically adjusting the alert level.（3）There were seasonal differences in the behavior patterns of Siberian cranes，with high resting and high observation behaviors during the autumn migration period to reduce energy consumption，and high foraging and high wandering behaviors during the spring migration period to improve energy gain.（4）There are age-related differences in the behavioral patterns between adult and juvenile Siberian cranes.Adult cranes exhibit mature behavioral patterns，capable of balancing energy acquisition and risk avoidance（e.g.，precise avoidance，active observation）；following disturbance from farming activities，they increase wandering and observational behaviors.In contrast，juvenile cranes are dominated by avoidance behaviors，with simplistic and inflexible behavioral strategies.They are highly susceptible to group behaviors，displaying high vigilance but only passive responses. <bold>Conclusion</bold> The response of Siberian Cranes behavior to farming activities showed a nonlinear stepwise change，indicating that its adaptation strategy was dynamically plastic.