Objective Cities are one of the important habitats for birds. In order to comprehensively understand the characteristics of urban biodiversity and explore strategies for biodiversity conservation in residential areas, this study took birds as the research object and the residential areas in the central urban area of Beijing as research area. We explored whether urban residential areas were important activity spaces for birds, analyzes the seasonal changes in the characteristics of resident birds, migratory birds, and bird communities with different feeding habits, and reveals the influencing factors of bird diversity, in order to provide scientific basis for the protection of bird diversity in residential areas and the construction of a biodiversity city.

Method 40 residential areas were selected to carry out a one-year bird survey. Variance analysis was used to compare the differences of bird community characteristics in different seasons, and principal coordinates analysis was used to compare bird community composition in different seasons. A generalized linear model was used to explore key factors affecting bird diversity.

Result A total of 51 species, 23 families and 10 orders of birds were recorded. Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) was the most dominant species. Azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyanus), spotted dove (Streptopelia chinensis), common magpie (Pica pica) and light-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis) were dominant species. The species richness and abundance of birds showed a bimodal pattern. The species in spring and autumn was significantly higher than in summer and winter, but the difference of abundance was not significant. The species, abundance and density of resident birds were significantly higher than migratory birds. There was a significant difference between migratory birds in different seasons, while the difference in resident birds was not significant. The species, abundance and density of birds with different diets were significantly different. The omnivorous was the highest, the carnivorous was the lowest, and the insectivorous changed significantly with seasons. The community structure of resident and migratory birds was different in response to seasonal changes. Migratory birds changed with seasons, while resident birds remained stable throughout the year. The resident birds were not significantly affected by environmental factors, while the migratory birds were significant. Building density, road density and building floors had negative effects on bird diversity, and tree coverage had positive effects.

Conclusion The study reveals that residential areas are important activity space for birds in highly urbanized areas, which play an important role in maintaining the diversity of urban birds. Arbors have a significant positive effect on bird diversity. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen the habitat construction in residential green space, which help the urban biodiversity conservation.