Habitat Selection of Wintering Birds in Farm Ponds in Taoyuan, Taiwan

Identification of existing and potential irrigation ponds is essential for creating waterbird refuges to secure habitats for wintering waterbirds in anthropogenically influenced areas. In total, 45 ponds were surveyed in the Taoyuan Tableland in northwestern Taiwan. The association between pond dimensions and bird-species richness and community composition was determined by comparing the responses of functional groups to pond configurations. The results demonstrated that waterbirds, compared with landbirds, have a stronger correlation with pond variables. Our study provided substantial evidence that these artificial ponds had also influenced the distribution of wintering waterbirds