A research team led by Dr. Duan Fei of the Natural History Museum of China, in collaboration with the Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Laboratory at Peking University mapped the functional spectra and assessed the functional space characteristics of bird species in China through a quantitative analysis of the functional strategies of 1,445 bird species in China. The findings, titled Ecological Portraits: Mapping Functional Spectra and Space Characteristics of Birds in China were published in the international journal Global Ecology and Conservation in December 2024.

The study examined functional traits related to morphology, diet composition, reproductive capacity, and spatial use. The results indicate that birds in China exhibit a clustered pattern within the functional spectra. Terrestores, natatores, raptators, and threatened species display low functional redundancy, highlighting the need for heightened attention and protection. The current functional space volume of birds in China is 169.6 SD⁴; compared with two null models, only approximately 45% of the functional space is realized, with a non-uniform distribution. Under projected extinction scenarios over the next 100 years, the functional space of birds in China is expected to contract further. Compared with random extinctions, scenarios in which the current threatened status of species remains unmitigated lead to substantially greater losses of functional space.

In terms of functional strategies, large-bodied birds, those with restricted distributions, low clutch sizes, and species preying on non-invertebrates face higher extinction risks in the future. The study recommends that future conservation efforts in China incorporate species’ functional traits, account for the multidimensionality of biodiversity, and use integrated, cross-dimensional analyses to provide more comprehensive scientific support for biodiversity conservation planning.

Fig. 1 The functional spaces of birds in China

A. All birds (n = 1,445),

B. Division by ecological taxa

Fig. 2 Functional spaces of birds in China under 100-year extinction scenarios. The dashed horizontal line indicates the observed values in functional spaces. Values of 999 replicates are shown as dots for projected extinction scenarios and randomized extinction, respectively. Violin plots represent the data density, with the thick line in the middle representing the mean.