INVESTIGATING WATERFOWL HABITAT-USE PATTERNS WITH MULTI-SOURCE REMOTE SENSING DATA

Waterfowl habitat analysis is significant to understand species behavior and make conservation plans, especially for Bar headed Geese, which was involved in the large-scale outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in the year 2005 in China. Many studies have demonstrated there is a significant correlation between wildlife habitat and remote sensing data. The various reflectance data contain substantial ecological information that is valuable to model the habitat selection of wildlife. In this paper, we investigate the habitat use patterns of Bar-headed Geese by combining multi-source satellite images with bird GPS records, using Log-likelihood chi-square test to explore the waterfowl habitat preferences. The results show the bird's favorites are significant in various habitatcategories, which confirm previous surveys. This work helps to manage species and make disease control strategies for this sensitive waterfowl.