title: [On nest-site selection of Otic tarda].
abstract: During April to July in 2000 and 2001, the nest-site selection of Otis tarda was studied by direct observation and sampling method in the southeast grassland of Keyouqianqi in Inner Mongolia. The results showed that Otis tarda was one kind of big-sized bird built nests on the ground in sparse cluster, and the smallest distance between nests was 9 m. Otis tarda had a significant tendency in nest-site selection. Firstly, this tendency was represented under the scale of landscape. Most nests of Otis tarda were built on the mid-hill of grassland, the elevation range was from 190 m to 230 m, most nests built on the slopes faced to sun, and the biggest gradient was not more than 8 degree. Moreover, the nests were near to roads. Secondly, Otis tarda selected its nest-site according to vegetation structure. It tended to select nest-site with thick hay, high vegetation density and grass height from 15 cm to 35 cm, but would not select the place with over high vegetation density no nest.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024.
authors.forename: Dongmei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Haitao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jinrui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000502:physiology*; D002681:China; D017753:Ecosystem; D009425:Nesting Behavior / Q000502:physiology*