Abstract: Bird diversity in Hengda Venice Beach in Qidong Yangtze River Estuary (North Branch) Nature Reserve was surveyed from July 2018 to May 2019 using the line transect and sampling point method. In total, 51 bird species from 23 families and 9 orders were recorded. Water birds composed of Charadriiformes, Anseriformes, Ciconiiformes, Podicipediformes were the main components of the bird community. The Shannon Index was the highest in autumn and lowest in winter. Species richness was the highest in winter and lowest in summer. Bird density was the highest in winter and lowest in summer. The tourist flow varied greatly among seasons in terms of seasonal concentration index of passenger flow (R), with the tourist flow being higher in summer than in other seasons. There were negative correlations between the tourist flow and bird diversity indices. The correlation was higher between monthly tourist flow and bird species richness than other parameters. This study found the relationship between coastal tourism and bird migration, providing a decision-making basis for time-space peak shifting management between the coastal tourism scenic spots and bird migration.

Key words: Yangtze River Estuary, water birds, migration, beach, tourism.