Primary Research on the Characteristics of Feeding Sites of Grus monacha in the East Tide Flat of Chongming

The characteristics of Hooded Cranes (Grus monacha) feeding sites in the east tide flat of Chongming Island were studied.The corm of Scirpus mariqueter is the main foods of the Hooded Crane in wintering in Chongming Island.There are fairly significant difference (P<0.01) on the foraging degree of the Hooded Crane,and significant differences (P<0.05) on the foods depth and weight of the bird between the site at the edges of the tidal channel and that far away the tidal channel.There are fairly significance (P<0.001) differences on the foraging degree,foods depth,number and weight of the bird among three sample lines.The effect of tidewater causes no significant difference on the foraging degree among the inner,middle and outer zones of Bulrush vegetation,but the foods depth and weight have fairly significance differences (P<0.001) among those zones.The mean feeding depth of the Hooded Crane can be used as an index in prediction its foraging sites.The tidal scour causes foods buried in the different depth,which has a great influence on the Hooded Crane feeding in the eastern tide flat of Chongming Island.