Abstract: Establishing multi-guild bird ecological networks and identifying ecological functional bottleneck areas have become crucial ecological conservation approaches to curb habitat fragmentation and biodiversity decline. We examined three guilds, including forest resident birds (FRB), forest wintering migratory birds (FWB), and aquatic wintering migratory birds (AWB), in the Xiuhe River Basin, an important overwintering habitat for migratory birds in Asia. Considering the differences in their ecological habits, we set differentiated environmental factors and resistance surface parameters suitable for different guilds. Based on the MaxEnt model and circuit theory, we conducted habitat suitability modeling for multiple species, constructed multi-guild ecological networks, and identified key ecological areas. This study aimed to achieve a high degree of matching between ecological response mechanisms and the configuration of spatial modeling parameters, and to provide theoretical support for the refined simulation of multi-species ecological networks. The results showed that: (1) There were significant spatial distribution differences between the suitable habitats and ecological source areas across the three guilds. AWB primarily inhabited Poyang Lake wetlands and adjacent waters. FWB source areas were located in the eastern Jiuling Mountains and near lake inlets. FRB source areas were widely distributed across the Jiuling Mountains, Mufu Mountains, Meiling, and the Xiuhe River lake inlet. (2) Migration pathways varied across the three guilds due to differing source distribution patterns. A total of 129 ecological corridors were identified, comprising 3 major corridors for AWB, 8 for FWB, and 19 for FRB; alongside 11 minor corridors for AWB, 18 for FWB, and 70 for FRB. (3) Six key ecological areas were identified and delineated, showing diverse spatial patterns, such as water-land ecotones and agriculture-forest mosaics. These areas were threatened by urban and agricultural expansion and fragmentation caused by transportation infrastructure. Accordingly, differentiated strategies are proposed to provide a scientific basis for biodiversity conservation and management in the Xiuhe River Basin.

Key words: Xiu River Basin, multi-guild, ecological pinch point, ecological barrier point, Poyang Lake Basin