Lishan National Nature Reserve is the largest and most species-rich national nature reserve in Shanxi Province. The core area in Hungou harbors the only remaining primary forest on the Loess Plateau and in North China. From November 2020 to April 2024, a long-term camera-trapping survey was conducted to monitor mammalian and avian diversity in the reserve. The survey recorded 16 mammal species from 6 orders and 11 families, as well as 16 bird species from 5 orders and 7 families. Turdus boulboul was identified as a new species record for the reserve and a new bird distribution record for the Shanxi Province. Two species (Panthera pardus and Moschus moschiferus) are listed as Class I national protected animals, while seven species are listed as Class II national protected animals, including Macaca mulatta, Vulpes vulpes, Martes flavigula, Prionailurus bengalensis, Pucrasia macrolopha, Chrysolophus pictus, and Accipiter nisus, collectively accounting for 28.13% of all recorded species. Four species are categorized as threatened in the China Biodiversity Red List: Moschus moschiferus (Critically Endangered, CR), Panthera pardus (Endangered, EN), Prionailurus bengalensis (Vulnerable, VU), and Martes flavigula (VU), comprising 12.5% of all recorded species. The five most abundant mammals, as evaluated with the relative abundance index (RAI), were Arctonyx collaris, Sciurotamias davidianus, Sus scrofa, Capreolus pygargus, and Macaca mulatta. The top five bird species with the highest RAIs were Corvus macrorhynchos, Corvus corone, Urocissa erythroryncha, Pucrasia macrolopha, and Chrysolophus pictus. Additionally, the nocturnal activity analysis of the top ten species by RAIs showed that three species (Paguma larvata, Prionailurus bengalensis, and Arctonyx collaris) exhibited nocturnal activity, while the remaining seven species, such as Moschus moschiferus and Capreolus pygargus, were diurnal. This study provides foundational data for research on bird and mammal diversity in Lishan National Nature Reserve. For a more comprehensive biodiversity inventory in the future, it is suggested that monitoring efforts should be expanded to key areas, such as the Yunmeng core zone, and that complementary methods should be integrated to overcome the limitations of camera-trapping technology.