Study On Breeding Ecology Of Japanese Marsh Warbler (Megalurus Pryeri)

The Japanese Marsh Warbler (Megalurus pryeri) is one of the species only distributed in East Asia. It is the endemic species in parts of China and Japan. Now its distributions in China is not clear. The Japanese Marsh Warbler was listed as endangered species in IUCN Red Book (1998). The Nature Reserves in northeast China include Shuangtai-hekou Nature Reserve, Xianghai Nature Reserve, Momoge Nature Reserve, Zhalong Nature Reserve and Xingkai lake Nature Reserve were investigated from April 5 to July 15 2004. At last the bird was watched in Shuangtai-hekou Nature and Zhalong Nature Reserve, but it only breeded in Zhalong Nature Reserve.6 transects that unilateral width is 30m were designed in Zhalong Nature Reserve, it is 34.468km long in all. 47 males were recorded, but no one were found in Hulu-xing where the birds had been found in 1996.14 nests of the Japanese Marsh Warbler were found in Mantou-gang of the core zone. It is the first time that the nest of the endangered bird was found. The nest is close to the ground(145.07±96.057mm), the nest is primary made up of laaurotic leaves of reed. The egg is ivory-white, there are some very small snuff color spots in the big end. The clutch size is 6±0.632 (n=11) , the incubation is 11d, the nesting is 10d. Hatchability is 71.21%, the reproduction success is 40.91 %14 nests of the Japanese Marsh Warbler (Megulurus pryeri) were found in Mantougang of the core zone of Zhalong Nature Reserve from April to July in 2004. The bird is monogamous, the female answers for nest building, hatching and brooding, the male answers for guarding home range and alerting. The male drive male Japanese Marsh Warbler, but has no reaction to other kind of bird. Man-Whitney U Test shows that the ecology factor green grass density (Asymp.Sig. (2-tail) 0<0.05), green grass cover degree (0.018<0.05), pollenosis cover degree (0<0.05) , blasted reed cover degree (0<0.05) , blasted reed density (0<0.05) , blasted reed heightest (0<0.05) , blasted reed average height (00.05) , distant between nest and blasted reed (0<0.05) , distant between water and nest (0.021<0.05) are important factors on nest-selection, but the factor distant between nest and disturbance (0.072>0.05) is not important, The bigger the distant between nest and water is, the bigger area of home range is (Pearson Correlation=0.704).Almost all of the nests were found in the reed-marsh of washland with patch of blasted reed here and there. The nest site always in the reed bed where plant is flourish contrived disturbance has not important impact on its nest selection. The blasted reed has very important impact on the breeding of Japanese marsh warbler. So the advice is that leave some reed when reaping. It is benefit to breeding of Japanese marsh warbler in the next year.The advises are that: as soon as come on the measure of bird management in Zhalong Nature Reserve; establish water supply in long time; water supply to the wetland scientifically; changethe way of reaping reed; restrict strictly graze.