Abstract: Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) is one of the most endangered species in the world and a First-class National Protected Animal in China. To expand their distribution range, 20 Crested Ibises were introduced to the Beidaihe National Wetland Park in July 2018 from Yangxian Crested Ibis Breeding Center. To assess their adaptability to the simulated habitat of Beidaihe wetland, we investigated behaviors and habitat utilization of Crested Ibis in the acclimation cage from July to October 2018. During the acclimation, Crested Ibis quickly acquired flight skills to avoid collision with the net of the cage. The average flight duration increased from 106.8±93.4 s at the earlier stage to 145.8±118.1 s in the later stage. In the first day of the acclimation, 70% of the individuals nocturnally roosted on trees, while the rest on grassland or artificial roost bars. All Crested Ibis acquired the ability to roost on trees within 30 days of acclimation. Compared with the early stage, foraging time increased from 55.4% to 58.3%, and the percentage in the utilization of shallow water significantly increased in the later period. The alert time significantly increased in the later stage and showed a defensive response to predators such as raptors. After 87 days of acclimation, the behavior and habitat utilization of the individuals changed greatly and tended to be stable, indicating an adaptation to the new habitat. For the acclimation of the Crested Ibis, feeding method should be improved to increase the difficulty of foraging and feeding experiment of locally specific food should be conducted.

Key words: photosynthetic characteristic, water use efficiency, natural community, shelterbelt, water potential