Microhabitat Use of Temminck’s Tragopan (Tragopan temminckii) During the Breeding Season in Laojunshan National Nature Reserve, Western China

TL;DR

This study identifies the specific forest features that Temminck’s Tragopan prefers during breeding, helping guide conservation efforts in China.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into the fine-scale breeding season microhabitat preferences of Temminck’s Tragopan in a specific reserve.

Findings

Temminck’s Tragopan prefers habitats with tall trees, bamboo, dense canopy, and thick leaf litter.

The species avoids areas with dense, tall grasses and prefers proximity to water and forest edges.

Principal Component Analysis identified key habitat factors explaining 71.78% of environmental variance.

Abstract

The Temminck’s Tragopan (Tragopan temminckii), a protected pheasant species inhabiting mountainous forests in China, requires specific habitat features during the breeding season. We examined its microhabitat preferences in the Laojunshan National Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province. Our results indicate that the species strongly prefers areas characterized by tall trees and bamboo, dense overhead cover, thick leaf litter, and tall shrubs, while avoiding habitats dominated by dense, tall grasses. Principal Component Analysis revealed that bamboo structure, tree structure, and proximity to water sources and forest edges are key environmental factors influencing habitat selection. Effective conservation of this species therefore requires forest management practices that maintain this specific combination of habitat characteristics to support its reproduction and survival.

Habitat utilization is a critical determinant of animal survival and reproductive success. Clarifying species-specific habitat preferences provides essential insights into ecological requirements and forms the basis for sound conservation planning. The Temminck’s Tragopan (Tragopan temminckii), a medium-sized, sexually dimorphic pheasant endemic to montane forests of central and southern China, is classified as a nationally protected Class II species. Nevertheless, its fine-scale habitat selection during the breeding season remains inadequately documented. In 2024, we conducted a field investigation in the Laojunshan National Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, to examine microhabitat use during this critical period. Our analysis revealed a significant preference for sites characterized by greater tree and bamboo height, higher canopy and bamboo cover, increased litter coverage, and taller shrub layers. In contrast, the species consistently avoided locations dominated by dense, tall herbaceous vegetation. Principal Component Analysis identified six principal components, collectively explaining 71.78% of the total environmental variance. The first component was primarily associated with bamboo structural attributes, the second with tree-layer structure, and the third with proximity to forest edges and streams. These findings indicate that effective conservation of this pheasant requires targeted forest management practices that preserve this specific suite of habitat characteristics, which are essential for ensuring reproductive success and long-term population viability.

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