Abstract: Surveys of birds including residents and visitors in winter were conducted in Baoying Lake Wetlands in Yangzhou， Jiangsu Province during September 2012 to March 2013 by using the line transect methods. As a result， 56 species belonging to 11 orders， 28 families were recorded during the period of investigations. Of which， 31 species were residents， 19 species were winter migrants， and 6 species were passing migrants. The composition of avifauna comprised with 24 Palaearctic species， 20 oriental species and 12 widespread species in both regions， and was characterized by a transitional trait of both regions. Comparisons of diversity of the bird communities in Baoying Lake showed that the bird diversity in lakeshore habitat is higher than that in water area. It is closely related to the limited water area of Baoying Lake and excessive anthropogenic interference caused by aquaculture and fishing in the lake. Thus， for the regional conservation of wintering bird biodiversity， tradeoffs between satisfying legitimate human needs for freshwater and preserving as much biodiversity as possible are necessary.

Key words: Baoying Lake, avifauna composition, transectline method, bird diversity, Jiangsu