Alert time reflects the negative impacts of human disturbance on an endangered bird species in Changbai Mountain, China

Abstract

Human proximity often has negative consequences for wildlife. In response to human disturbance, animals may display a variety of potentially costly behavioural responses, such as vigilance or flight, which were often used as measures of fearfulness and to indicate varying habituation levels. With rapid human development, the globally endangered Scaly-sided Merganser (Mergus squamatus) may be vulnerable to anthropogenic interference. However, human-induced disturbances to a local breeding population have not been quantified. In this study, we tested how flight initiation distance (FID) and behavioural budget (alert time (AT) in particular) changes in relation to human presence in this species in Changbai Mountain, China. The results showed that individuals who experienced greater levels of human disturbance had shorter FIDs, which indicate that the local population may be habituated to human approach. However, this species spent more time being vigilant in its behavioral budget, which suggested that some other human-induced stimuli may impose negative effects on the species. This study will allow managers to better understand the response of this endangered species to different human-induced disturbances and provided scientific basis for local wildlife managers to establish buffer distance for SSME in Changbai Mountain.