SummaryStaging sites are vital for large-sized migratory cranes, which require high-protein food sources during migration. In this study, we used field surveys and faecal analysis to determine the migration patterns and dietary composition of the globally threatened Red-crowned CraneGrus japonensispopulation that migrates and stages at the Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve (YRDNR), Eastern China. Analysis of 135 faecal samples collected during the migration season in 2008, 2010 and 2011 showed that 78.8% of the faeces comprised > 90% dry mass of tidal mudflat crabHelice tientsinensisremains, suggesting that tidal mudflat crab was an important source of food for these Red-crowned Cranes. Smaller percentages of two other crab species (Eriocheir sinensis,Macrophthalmus dilatatum), fish remains, ragwormsHediste diversicolorand vegetation were also detected in the faecal samples. Consumption of tidal mudflat crabs was found to increase from autumn through to spring. Surveys of tidal mudflat crabs from YRDNR revealed that female crabs have significantly smaller body size (dry mass) but higher energy reserve ratio (ash-free dry mass per body mass) compared to males. Red-crowned Cranes fed predominantly on small and medium-sized female crabs, with a female to male ratio of 5:1 in the diet, compared with the 1:2 ratio of female to male crabs found within the coastal wetland crab population. Our findings suggest that tidal mudflat crabs represent a critical food source for the migratory Red-crowned Crane population in YRDNR, and future crane conservation strategies should encompass the necessary measures to conserve the tidal mudflat crab population at this staging site.
Hydrological connectivity: One of the driving factors of plant communities in the Yellow River Delta