Migration Ecology and Protection of Stopover Sites of the Whimbrels Along China's Coastal

To effectively establish a conservation network for migratory bird flyways in China, understanding the protection status of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) along China's coastal regions is a prerequisite. Using satellite tracking data from 13 Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus) in Hangzhou Bay (2018-2023), we found (1) After traversing the coastal and the Northeast Plain in China, the Whimbrels captured in Hangzhou Bay diverged into two distinct migration routes at 45°N-50° N. There was no difference in migration parameters between individuals on different routes, except for the speed of southward migration (p < 0.05). (2) The Hangzhou Bay tracked individuals exhibited strong fidelity to this wetland and had a high degree of overlap in the concentrated activity zones there. (3) Combined with other published studies, we evaluated the protection gaps, revealing 73.1% (38 of 52) stopover sites fall within protected areas (primarily national-level), but with stark regional disparities: inland regions (Inner Mongolia and Northeast China) showed lower protection coverage than coastal zones (East Sea-South Sea and the Bohai Sea-Yellow Sea of China). These integrated findings demonstrate that while China's coastal protected areas effectively cover most key Whimbrel habitats, critical inland stopovers remain unprotected. We recommend a need for greater conservation attention in inland regions. The findings of this study provide a theoretical foundation for effectively establishing a migratory bird flyway conservation network in China.