Objectives  To improve the bird basic data of the Qilihai Lagoon Wetland, which has been designated as the World Natural Heritage Site for the second phase of the Yellow (Bohai) Sea Migratory Bird Habitat in China, and to provide technical support for local governments and protected area management departments in formulating protection and management plans and ecological restoration.

  Methods  From January to December 2022, based on the characteristics of the topography and habitat distribution, a combination of sampling point method and sampling line method were used to set up 3 sampling points and 1 sampling line around the Qilihai Lagoon. The bird species, quantity, distribution type, faunal composition, and habitat types investigated were recorded, and the dominant species, common species, rare and endangered status, diversity, and threatened status of birds were analyzed.

  Results  A total of 165 species of birds from 42 families and 17 orders were recorded in the survey, including 102 species of wetland waterbirds and 63 species of non wetland waterbirds. The Charadriiformes, Anseriformes, and Peliecaniformes were the main bird species in the Qilihai Lagoon wetland, mainly distributed in the habitat of the lagoon, with migratory birds accounting for 90% of the total species. This reflected that the Qilihai Lagoon was an important habitat for migratory birds. Among the 165 bird species, there were 12 species of nationally protected first-class birds, 30 species of nationally protected second-class birds, and 5 species of endangered or above on the IUCN Red Species List.

  Conclusions  The average values of the diversity index H′ and evenness index J of birds in the Qilihai Lagoon Wetland were 3.27 and 0.66, respectively, indicating that the bird community in the wetland had high species diversity, stable community structure, and high protection value. Human activities, such as the illegal collection of benthic organisms, were the main threat factors currently facing the wetland’s bird community.The main threat factors currently facing are human activities such as illegal collection of benthic organisms.