Abstract: Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) is a national grade II protected wildlife species in China, with fragmented breeding habitats. In recent years, under the background of global climate change, the area of wetlands in Northeast China, as the main breeding area of Eurasian Spoonbill, has been reduced due to over-exploitation of groundwater and reclamation of wetlands. It is necessary to formulate a scientific protection plan to reduce the habitat fragmentation of Eurasian Spoonbill in Northeast China. Here, we analyzed the habitat suitability and main influencing factors of Eurasian Spoonbill in Northeast China using MaxEnt model and GIS technology. Thearea under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the subjects achieved 0.918 in the training samples and 0.945 in the test samples, suggesting its high prediction ability and suitability for predicting the potential habitats of Eurasian Spoonbill. The results showed that the main environmental factors affecting the distribution of breeding habitats of Eurasian Spoonbill were altitude(36.8%) and vegetation coverage (32.6%), followed by isothermality (11.5%), the distance from lake (8.6%), and precipitation in the driest season (4.0%). The less impacting factors were the distance from road (2.7%), the wettest monthly precipitation (2.4%), the distance from residential area (0.8%), land use type (0.4%), and the distance from river (0.2%). The suitable habitats of Eurasian Spoonbill in Northeast China are concentrated in low altitude, suitable climate, and close to water source. The distribution of protected areas (nature reserves and wetland parks) suitable for Eurasian Spoonbill habitats was clear. Our results provide scientific basis for the protection of Eurasian Spoonbill, and provide suggestions for the management of its habitats.

Key words: Eurasian Spoonbill, Northeast China, MaxEnt model, habitat, suitability.