Abstract: Habitat selection is a comprehensive behavioral strategy for wild animals, which isaffected by the physiological-ecological characteristics of animals and their requirement for food, water and safety, and can comprehensively reflect the impacts of environmental disturbance and stress on their habitat utilization. To explore the summer habitat preference and the habitat utilization pattern of roe deer in mountainous areas surrounding Beijing, this study was conducted from July 5^th to August 15^th, 2019 and July 15^th to August 30^th, 2020. In the field survey, a total of 39 roe deer’s used habitat plots and 136 controlled non-used plots (20 m×20 m) were sampled in Huairou of Beijing, Huailai and other counties of Hebei. In total, 22 habitat variables were measured, including altitude, vegetation type and slope. The variables were compared between the used and nonused habitats and the characteristics of the preferred habitats in summer were analyzed. The results showed that the variables including diameter of trees at breast height (29.24±3.27 cm), average height of shrubs (1.49±0.07 m), the number of fallen trees (3.72±0.89), and the coverage of withered grass (36.75%±5.74%) in used summer habitats were significantly higher than those in the nonused habitats (P<0.05). Deer tended to select the habitats with lower arbor density (15.15±3.71 plants·plot^-1), gentle slope (92.3%) located in west and north slopes (66.67%) (P<0.05). Moreover, roe deer preferred to use summer habitats with better concealment (64.1%), farther distance from the community (51.28%), and weaker disturbance intensity (76.92%) (P<0.05). The results of principal component analysis and multiple correspondence analysis showed that the planttype, food, disturbance, topography, concealment, and hydrothermal factors were the critical factors influencing roe deer’s summer habitat selection in the mountainous areas surrounding Beijing, which comprehensively reflects the ecologicaldemands of roe deer for food, safety and water in summer.

Key words: roe deer (Capreolus pygargus), habitat selection, summer, mountainous areas around Beijing.