Effects of Livestock Grazing on Spatio-Temporal Patterns and Behaviour of Reeves’s Pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii

Abstract

Protected areas are seeing an increase in anthropogenic disturbances in the world. Previous studies have demonstrated the impact of livestock grazing and human presence on the habitat use of birds, whereas little is known about the effect of free-ranging livestock on bird behaviour. Reeves’s Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) is endemic to China and has been threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, illegal logging, and human disturbance over the past 20 years. Based on camera trapping in the Liankangshan National Nature Reserve (LKS) and the Zhonghuashan Birds Provincial Nature Reserve (ZHS), we explore the effects of livestock grazing and human activities on the spatio-temporal distribution and behavioural patterns of Reeves’s Pheasant. Livestock does not appear to affect habitat use by the pheasant but changes its behavioural patterns. In addition, pheasants in areas with livestock foraged mostly during the early morning, while in areas without livestock, they foraged at dusk. Therefore, the study concludes that livestock intensity in nature reserves may have reduced pheasant suitability through altered patterns of vigilance and foraging behaviour.