PRELIMINARY RECORD OF BIRD SPECIES COMPOSITION IN DONG RUI WETLAND, TIEN YEN DISTRICT, QUANG NINH PROVINCE

Abstract

Dong Rui wetland located in Tien Yen district, Quang Ninh province, belongs to the North-east coast zone of the mangrove vegetation of Vietnam. This area has different wetland habitats which are important for migratory waterbirds to stop and wintering. However, there is little information about the bird species in this area. The main objective of this study was to investigate the species composition of the avifauna and status of bird species in Dong Rui wetland. Four field surveys were conducted in 2016 and 2021. Data were collected using line transect combined with point count. During this study, a total 78 avian species belonging to 33 Families, 13 Orders were recorded. Passeriformes was the most diverse order with 33 species recorded. From the 33 families of birds, waterbird families were the numerically dominant families in species diversity and species richness. Eight species were listed as rare and precious bird species of the world and/or Vietnam. Of these, 7 species  were observed during field surveys. The Black-faced Spoonbill was previously recorded in Dong Rui wetland but was not recorded in this study. It is necessary to conduct more intensive surveys on diversity and conservation status of bird species in the area for management and conservation.