There are many and diverse intestinal microbiota, and they are closely related to various physiological functions of the body. They directly participate in the host's food digestion, nutrient absorption, energy metabolism, immune response, and many other physiological activities and are also related to the occurrence of many diseases. The intestinal microbiota are extremely important for maintaining normal physical health. In order to explore the composition and differences of the intestinal microbiota of whooper swans in different wintering areas, we collected fecal samples of whooper swans in Sanmenxia, Henan, and Rongcheng, Shandong, and we used the Illumina HiSeq platform to perform high-throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. Comparison between Sanmenxia and Rongcheng showed no significant differences in ACE, Chao 1, Simpson, and Shannon indices (p > 0.05). Beta diversity results showed significant differences in bacterial communities between two groups [analysis of similarity (ANOSIM): R = 0.80, p = 0.011]. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis showed that at the phylum level, the relative abundance of Actinobacteria was significantly higher in Sanmenxia whooper swans than Rongcheng whooper swans. At the genus level, the amount of Psychrobacter and Carnobacterium in Sanmenxia was significantly higher in Rongcheng, while the relative abundance Catellicoccus and Lactobacillus was significantly higher in Rongcheng than in Sanmenxia. This study analyzed the composition, characteristics, and differences of the intestinal microbiota of the whooper swans in different wintering environments and provided theoretical support for further exploring the relationship between the intestinal microbiota of the whooper swans and the external environment. And it played an important role in the overwintering physiology and ecology, population management, and epidemic prevention and control of whooper swans.

The conservation management of natural ecosystems in China has significantly improved in recent decades, resulting in the effective protection of wildlife and the restoration of habitats. With the rapid growth in wildlife populations and corresponding range expansions, incidents of human–wildlife conflict have notably increased across China. However, only a few studies have paid adequate attention to wildlife damage management and compensation. In our review, we focus on the foremost mitigation measure to combat human–wildlife conflict, i.e., compensation for damage caused by wildlife. We conducted a questionnaire survey and an in-depth review of the literature across 19 Chinese provinces and autonomous regions, resulting in a total of 78 relevant sources. We first introduce the concept of wildlife damage compensation in China, followed by a review of Chinese legislation and policies regarding wildlife damage compensation. We compiled a comprehensive list of nuisance species, and we showcase four case studies in which we exemplarily describe the current situation of wildlife damage compensation. We reflect on difficulties and challenges such as delayed damage assessments or compensation quotas that do not correspond to current market prices. Since local legislation is often insufficient or completely absent, we make suggestions on how to improve existing policies and compensation mechanisms.

Gut microbiota plays an important role in host metabolism, immunity, and environmental adaptation, yet its response to contrasting wintering habitats in migratory waterbirds remains poorly understood. We compared the gut microbiota of whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus) wintering in a natural riverine habitat (Swan Bay, Hejing County) and an urban wetland habitat (Worker’s Park, Korla City) in Xinjiang, China. A total of 34 fresh fecal samples were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We identified 2207 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), of which 734 were shared between habitats, indicating the presence of a conserved core microbiota. The urban wetland group exhibited a significantly higher Simpson index, whereas beta diversity analysis revealed significant differences in community structure between habitats (p < 0.05). Both groups were dominated by Firmicutes, Fusobacteriota, Proteobacteria, Campylobacterota, and Bacteroidota, although their relative abundances differed markedly. LEfSe analysis identified distinct habitat-associated taxa, and PICRUSt2 prediction suggested greater enrichment of metabolism-related pathways in the natural riverine group. Overall, wintering habitat was associated with differences in gut microbial composition and predicted function, providing new insight into the ecological adaptation of migratory waterbirds under contrasting environmental conditions.