• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.55-66
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• 2007

This study was conducted to analyze the distribution patterns of wintering waterbird communities in relation to local environmental factors in the urban streams of Seoul, Korea. A field survey was conducted at 66 sites of 5 tributaries and the main channel of the Hangang River in Seoul in January 2006. The total of 65 species and 39,560 individuals were recorded in the field survey. There were 48 species and 28,989 individuals in the Hangang River, 14 species and 1,395 individuals in the Tancheon stream, 15 species and 2,306 individuals in the Jungrangcheon stream, 22 species and 5,990 individuals in the Anyangcheon, 18 species and 283 individuals in the Changrungcheon stream, and 24 species and 597 individuals in Gokrungcheon stream. The dominant species were Anas platyrhynchos (22.65%), A. poecilorhyncha (14.01%), Aythya ferina (13.26%), Aythya fuligula (8.04%), and Mergus merganser (7.03%). Among the 16 species (with 30,650 individuals) of ducks, the dabbling and diving ducks were 8 species with 18,286 individuals and 8 species with 12,364 individuals, respectively. Through the principal component analysis, the study sites were classified into four main groups according to the similarity of their waterbirds' species compositions: 3 tributaries in the urban area (Group 1), 2 tributaries in the rural area (Group 2), one in the rural area, one in the urban area, the urban area in Hangang River (Group 3) and the main channel of the Hangang River in the urban area (Group 4). Species diversity index and species evenness were the highest in Group 1, while the lowest Group 2. Analysis on their environmental factors showed that the waterbirds wintering in urban streams of Seoul prefer broad water width, low water depth and broad resting sites.