Avian diversity and spatial-temporal distribution pattern of dominant species in Baqing County, Tibet.

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, called the "Third Pole of the Earth", is a typical region with rich avian resources due to its unique geographical environment and climatic characteristics. From August 2023 to May 2024, avian diversity was monitored with infrared camera trapping and transect surveys in Baqing County of the Three-River-Source National Park. A total of 81 bird species in 14 orders and 32 families were surveyed. Four and twelve species were respectively recorded as Class I and Class II nationally key protected animals of China. Based on the relative abundance index (RAI), the most dominant species was (RAI = 2.226), followed by , , and , which all exhibited unimodal diurnal activity peaks. Behaviour rhythm analysis showed daily activity peaks for (10:00-15:00 h) and (11:00-16:00 h). Other species with narrower peaks included (12:00-14:00 h), (13:00-14:00 h) and (11:00-12:00 h). The bird life of Baqing County is primarily dominated by highland elements, Holarctic elements, Palaearctic elements and Himalayan-Hengduan Mountains elements. The highest species richness occurs in habitats exhibiting the species-area effect and edge effect, particularly in grass-shrub ecotones and grass-rock mosaic habitats. This study provides essential baseline data to support avian conservation strategies in the Sanjiangyuan ecosystem.