Survey on Mammal and Bird Diversity in the Beijing Ming Tombs Forest Farm Based on Infrared Camera

To assess the current status of wildlife resources in the Beijing Ming Tombs Forest Farm, infrared camera trapping was employed to monitor the diversity of mammals and birds in the area from May to December 2021 and from January 2023 to November 2024. During the monitoring period, 97 infrared camera sites were deployed, accumulating 26 447 effective camera-days, and 13 047 independent valid photos. The results are as follows: (1) 7 365 independent and valid photos of mammals of 15 species belonging to 10 families and 5 orders were captured. The top 5 wild mammal species ranked by site occupancy (P) were Sus scrofa, Meles leucurus, Sciurotamias davidianus, Prionailurus bengalensis, and Paguma larvata, while the top 5 ranked by relative abundance index (R_AI) were Sus scrofa, Sciurotamias davidianus, Meles leucurus, Lepus tolai, and Paguma larvata. (2) 5 682 independent and valid photos of birds of 72 species belonging to 30 families and 13 orders were captured. The top 5 wild bird species ranked by site occupancy were Phasianus colchicus, Urocissa erythroryncha, Pica serica, Streptopelia orientalis, and Phoenicurus auroreus, while the top 5 ranked by relative abundance index were Urocissa erythroryncha, Phasianus colchicus, Pica serica, Streptopelia orientalis, and Corvus macrorhynchos. (3) The daily activity rhythm showed that Sciurotamias davidianus was a diurnal animal, Meles leucurus and Paguma larvata were crepuscular animals, and Lepus tolai and Sus scrofa were cathemeral animals. The monitoring results reflect the current status of mammal and bird resources in the Beijing Ming Tombs Forest Farm and provide a scientific basis for further biodiversity conservation and management.