Wintering Hooded Crane Fecal Sampling

The study site was located in the Shengjin lake, an internationally important wetland. The Shengjin lake served as an indispensable wintering area for migratory birds (Fox et al., 2011 (link)). According to the natural climatic characteristics of the lake, the wintering period was divided into three stages, named the early, middle and late stages (Wei et al., 2020 (link)). Fecal samples were collected from three wintering stages: the early stage from November 1st to November 2nd, 2018; the middle stage from December 28th to December 29th, 2018; the late stage from February 19th to February 20th, 2019. Before sampling, the telescope was used to search the flocks of hooded crane. Fresh fecal samples were collected immediately after foraging. DNA extractions of fecal samples were performed by using the Qiagen DNA Stool Mini Kit.