Study area
The mudflats in Jiangsu Province support large and diverse and flocks of
migratory shorebirds, including many rare and endangered species, and
are crucial to global biodiversity conservation. The sampling sites
Tiaozini (TZN) and Yongkou (YK) were areas of intertidal mudflats
separated by 60 km (Fig. 1). In 2019, Tiaozini was selected as a Natural
World Heritage site as the largest area of intertidal mudflats in the
world. The mudflats have a pivotal role in the migrations of shorebirds
and are key wintering, breeding, and staging sites on the EAAF. At least
four hundred species and 50 million migratory birds are recorded in the
study area, which is listed under Ramsar wetlands of international
importance (Yang et al. 2017).