Seeing the wood for the trees: Understanding resource selection at multiple spatial scales to inform conservation of a critically endangered species

The blue‐crowned laughingthrush (BCLT; Pterorhinus courtoisi ) is a Critically Endangered bird restricted to southeast China. Breeding sites are situated within agricultural‐forest mosaic habitats; it is unclear why the species is not more widely distributed across similar landscapes. Identifying factors that restrict the species' breeding range is essential for conservation planning. We quantified BCLT habitat preferences by combining fine‐scale vegetation measures from 39 villages in Jiangxi and Anhui Provinces with topographic and satellite data across the species' breeding range, applying resource selection functions at both the breeding‐site and the nest‐site scale. We found that BCLT may be considered a broadly generalist species with little evidence of habitat differences between breeding sites and those with no known history of breeding BCLT at this spatial scale. However, nest‐sites are more likely to contain larger broadleaf trees, bamboo stands, conifer or mixed forest, and to be on lower slope inclines. Our findings indicate that nest‐site selection is important for BCLT and highlight the need to protect remaining large broadleaf trees across the landscape. These results also demonstrate the importance of integrating conservation‐relevant data across multiple scales to provide new insights for threatened species management planning and landscape policy.