Habitat use of urban tree sparrows in the process of urbanization: Beijing as a case study
城市化对城市麻雀栖息地利用的影响:以北京市为例

The tree sparrow (Passer montanus) is a dominant species of urban bird communities. With the development of urbanization, the habitats and food resources of tree sparrows are likely to decrease. Can the urban tree sparrow adapt to changes in the urban environment? To answer this question, we studied the habi- tat use of tree sparrows in eight types of urban areas in Beijing. The results showed that the number of both breeding and wintering tree sparrows decreases with increasing urbanization. The habitat use of tree spar- rows, analyzed by discriminant analysis, was positively correlated with the number of brick bungalows, co- niferous and broad-leaved trees, and air conditioners, whereas it was negatively correlated with the area of high buildings and hardened roads, and people and automobile flux. This indicates that the tree sparrow is not adaptable to rapid urbanization, although in general it is an adaptable species. Urban planning should take into consideration birds such as tree sparrows.