Abstract: Qianshan City, located in the southeastern foothills of the Dabie Mountains, a national priority area for biodiversity conservation, is one of the regions with the richest wildlife resources in Anhui Province. It lies along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, serving as a critical stopover and habitat for numerous migratory birds and playing an important role in biodiversity conservation. However, current knowledge of bird diversity in Qianshan City remains limited; the distribution patterns of nationally protected bird species are unclear, and systematic data to support bird conservation planning are insufficient. In this study, we conducted a systematic citywide survey of bird diversity. Multiple indicators, including species richness, abundance, Shannon-Wiener index, Simpson index, and Pielou index, were used to analyse the spatio-temporal characteristics of bird diversity, and influence of different habitat types on bird diversity, and identify conservation gaps for rare and endangered birds within the existing protected area network. We found that Qianshan City harbours rich bird diversity, with 267 species recorded from 17 orders and 62 families, including 49 nationally protected species. Passeriformes was the dominant order; residents predominated, and songbirds constituted the largest percentage of species, followed by raptors. Species richness was higher during the spring and autumn migration seasons than during the breeding and wintering seasons, whereas bird community size peaked in winter. The western mountainous areas and Qianshui River corridor are hotspots of frequent bird activity and the primary distribution areas for nationally protected birds. The western mountains also serve as an important migration corridor for raptors. Among habitat types, forestland exhibited the highest diversity indices and played a decisive role in supporting the overall bird community of the city, with forest areas providing notable ecological support. This study provides baseline data for bird research and monitoring in Qianshan City and scientific evidence to inform regional bird diversity conservation strategies.