Focus on bird carrying capacity assessment in wetland ecological health assessment, the conversion method of ash free dry weight (AFDW) data of benthos was established, and the classification standard was optimized based on bird length. Taking Futian mangrove wetland as an example, the total food mass of benthos, the maximum calories for shorebirds and the field metabolic rate of shorebirds population were calculated. Furthermore, the carrying capacity of shorebirds was evaluated. The results are as follows. 1) The total food mass of benthos in Futian mangrove wetland had evident seasonal characteristics: winter (4.67×10
4 kg) < spring (6.08×10
4 kg)
4 kg)5 kg). In autumn, the food mass density (in AFDW) of different
habitats was as follows: mangrove area (89.22 g/m2) > beach area (3.58 g/m2) > gei wei fish pond area (0.22 g/m2). 2) The maximum calories for shorebirds in different seasons were winter (1.03×108 kJ) < spring (1.36×108 kJ) < summer (1.76×108 kJ) < autumn (2.70×108 kJ). 3) The field metabolic rate of the shorebirds population in Futian mangrove wetland was 467.27 kJ/d. 4) Autumn, winter and spring were the migration periods for migratory birds, and the carrying capacity of Futian mangrove wetland to shorebirds was 6431, 2438 and 3235 birds respectively. The actual observation data was higher than the research results, indicating that the current carrying capacity of shorebirds in the Futian mangrove wetland was insufficient to meet the food needs of birds in migration season, and the number of shorebirds might be reduced. It is suggested that the ecological protection of mangrove wetland in Futian should be strengthened in the following three aspects: the restoration and reconstruction of mangrove
vegetation, the ecological restoration and functional improvement of gei wei fish pond, and the dynamic monitoring of birds and benthos. In this way, the total food mass of benthos and the bird carrying capacity can be lifted.
