Priorities identification of habitat restoration for migratory birds under the increased water level during the middle of dry season: A case study of Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake wetlands, China

•Priorities identification of habitat restoration for migratory birds in wetlands.•Different classification methods are compared to identify priorities.•Poyang Lake: the geometric interval is the best method for priority identification.•Dongting Lake: the quantile is the best method for priority identification. The distribution of wetland ecosystem restoration sites is uneven and resources are limited, so priority identification is essential for rational resource allocation and reduction of biodiversity loss. Under the influence of human activities and climate variability, the water level during the middle of dry season (MDS) had a significant tendency to increase in Poyang Lake (PYL) and Dongting Lake (DTL), which directly affected the habitat suitability (HS) of migratory birds and threatened their existence. Based on the data of HS and weight of migratory birds, four evaluation indexes, namely, the accuracy of priority identification (API), geographical area equalization (GAE), the spatial autocorrelation consistency (SAC) and comprehensive evaluation index (CEI), were used to evaluate and compare the priorities identification effects of four classification methods, namely, natural breaks method, quantile method, equal interval method, and geometric interval method. The results showed that the geometric interval method and the quantile method are the best methods to identify the priority of habitat restoration of migratory birds in PYL and DTL wetlands, respectively, under the condition of increased water level (IWL) during the MDS. The method of priority identification proposed in this study and its results can provide a scientific basis for the regulation of wetland resources and the conservation of biodiversity (especially migratory birds).