Abstract: Forest birds are difficult to be detected because of their cryptic behaviors. In this study, camera trapping technology was used to monitor such birds in three forest sites of northern Guangdong. At Nanling National Nature Reserve, Chebaling National Nature Reserve, and Nanxiong Provincial Nature Reserve, 124, 66, and 29 cameras respectively were set up to monitor forest birds between January 2011 and March 2017. A total of 2659, 1063, and 769 photographs were produced, respectively. In total, 54 species were cameratrapped at the three sites, with 47species at Nanling, 27 species at Chebaling, and 21 species at Nanxiong. Lophura nycthemera and Garrulax pectoralis were the dominant species in those forests. The mean number of species recorded per camera was four. There were significant differences in species richness among the three sites, with the highest species richness in Nanling and the lowest in Nanxiong. No significant differences were found among the three sites for the mean number of individuals recorded per camera. Species richness in northern Guangdong appeared to be much higher than that at nearby sites, such as at Badakongshan in Hunan, and Huaping in Guangxi. Such differences might be related with the use of a larger number of cameras over a longer period. Syrmaticus ellioti andPucrasia macrolopha were not detected during cameratrapping at the three northern Guangdong sites and in other transect survey in northern Guangdong in past decades. We speculated that bothspecies may have been locally extinct.

Key words: altitude, dendroecology, tree species, detrended method, Changbai Mountain.