Community Variation of Wintering Waterbirds Stopover in Hwajinpo Lagoon for the Last Ten Years

The Hwajinpo Lagoon is known as an important stopover point to migratory birds using east routes of the Korean peninsula, it is also known as a large habitat for birds. The waterbirds community characteristics and the types of habitats used were investigated on Hwajinpo Lagoon from 2004 to 2013. A total of 50 species (16,981 individuals) belonging to 18 families, were observed. The dominant species were Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula), Common Gull (Larus canus), and Common Merganser (Mergus merganser). Bird individuals and dominant species were dynamically changed in each year. Diving birds were predominent, followed by the dabbling birds and gulls. Population dynamics were possitively associated with temperature and the number of herons, while other communities were not.