Abstract: The ongoing surveillance of wildlife resources constitutes the cornerstone for effective conservation and management of wildlife within nature reserves. To establish a comprehensive understanding of wildlife resources as well as to promote wildlife protection and management in the Jintongshan Region of Hunan Nanshan National Park, infrared cameras were used to monitor mammalian and avian resources from June 2021 to August 2022. This monitoring campaign encompassed an installation of 60 infrared camera stations, accumulating a total of 15343 effective camera-days and yielding 3733 individual and valid photos. We identified 19 mammal species belonging to 4 orders and 12 families, as well as 53 bird species belonging to 6 orders and 20 families. Luscinia phaenicuroides and Emberiza tristrami are new records for the region. Moschus berezovskii, Viverricula indica, and Syrmaticus ellioti are classified as Class Ⅰ nationally key protected wild animals in China. Ursus thibetanus, Tragopan temminckii, and Pitta nympha are among 15 species classified as Class Ⅱ nationally key protected wild animals in China. Dremomys pyrrhomerus had the highest relative abundance in mammals, while Lophura nycthemera was the most abundant in birds. The activity patterns of Lophura nycthemera, Chrysolophus pictus, Paguma larvata, and Melogale moschata were highly overlapping. In contrast, there were significant differences in the daily activity rhythms of Elaphodus cephalophus and Sus scrofa, as well as between Dremomys pyrrhomerus and Petaurista petaurista. The activity rhythms of Lophura nycthemera and Dremomys pyrrhomerus varied between the rainy and dry seasons, while there was no such divergence in the activity patterns of Sus scrofa. Our results highlight the importance and necessity of continuous wildlife resource monitoring in nature reserves. The use of infrared camera technology to understand the activity rhythms of common species can significantly contribute to wildlife resource protection and management.

Key words: infrared camera, species diversity, activity rhythm, Jintongshan Region, Hunan Nanshan National Park