Habitat specialisation in the Reed Parrotbill Paradoxornis heudei-evidence from its distribution and habitat use

The Reed Parrotbill Paradoxornis heudei is found in habitats dominated by Common Reed Phragmites australis in East Asia. This project was designed to test whether the Reed Parrotbill is a specialist of reed-dominated habitats, using data collected through literature review and field observations. About 87% of academic publications describing Reed Parrotbill habitat report an association with reeds, and the species was recorded in reeds at 92% of sites where it occurred. On Chongming Island, birds were only recorded in transects covered with reeds or transects with scattered reeds close to large reedbeds. At the Chongxi Wetland Research Centre, monthly monitoring over three years also showed that the species was not recorded in habitats without reeds. The density of Reed Parrotbills was higher in reedbeds than mixed vegetation (reeds with planted trees) and small patches of reeds. The species rarely appeared in mixed habitat after reeds disappeared. These results confirm that the species is a reed specialist and highlights that conservation of reed-dominated habitat is a precondition to conserve the Reed Parrotbill.