Abstract:Poyang Lake wetland is a key wintering habitat for migratory birds in East Asia, where the spatio-temporal pattern of migratory bird populations (STP-MB) is complex. This study used multi-source data from MODIS (NASA) from 2000 to 2010, including 10 days/nights of MODIS composite images of land surface temperature data (MODLT1T, provided by International Scientific & Technical Data Mirror Site, Computer Network Information Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences (http://www.gscloud.cn)), annual aerial survey data of migratory birds from 2001 to 2009, and meteorological data. Inter-annual variation in hydro-thermal factors (IAV-HT) and the correlation with migratory bird populations was analyzed at multi-spatial scales to examine the influence of IAV-HT on the STP-MB. Correlation between precipitation and water area, and the spatial pattern of land surface temperature was analyzed to assess coupling correlations within hydro-thermal factors. The final impact of IAV-HT on the STP-MB was revealed by the aforementioned coupling analysis. We found that the atmospheric temperature in December was the driving factor behind bird migration; and inter-annual changes in hydrological conditions were the determining factors of STP-MB, which was influenced by agricultural activities and ecological conditions in subzones. This research contributes towards the protection of migratory birds in Poyang Lake.