冬季食物供应对栖居于高海拔地区（含中‑亚热带高海拔）的野生动物种群的维持至关重要。为了研究保护动物毛冠鹿（Elaphodus cephalophus）的冬季食源植物及其营养特性，于2023年11月至次年3月，利用粪便显微分析法和野外样方法，调查研究了毛冠鹿越冬期的食物组成、营养特征及其海拔分布特点。结果表明：（1）毛冠鹿越冬期共取食13科16种植物，其中苔草（Carex spp.）（31.78%）、湖北双蝴蝶（Tripterospermum discoideum）（10.02%）、暗鳞鳞毛蕨（Dryopteris atrata）（8.16%）和宜昌荚蒾（Viburnum erosum）（8.14%）是毛冠鹿越冬期的主要食物；（2）在海拔梯度1 400 ~ 1 700 m，毛冠鹿越冬期食源植物单位面积供应总量达11.55 g/m²，且各营养成分含量都高于其他海拔梯度，是最适宜觅食的海拔区域；（3）在栎林中，毛冠鹿越冬期食源植物单位面积生物量达10.75 g/m²，显著高于其他林型，是毛冠鹿最适宜生存和觅食的场所；（4）毛冠鹿越冬期食源植物的采食频率与植物中粗蛋白、粗脂肪、粗纤维和粗灰分含量呈正相关（R分别为0.74、0.56、0.29和0.67），但与单宁含量呈负相关（R = -0.65）。本研究结果有助于进一步了解我国毛冠鹿取食特性，可为基于越冬期食物组成的毛冠鹿栖息地质量评价及管理提供基础数据，在鲸偶蹄目动物保护领域也具有重要的参考价值。

Winter food availability is critical to the maintenance of wildlife populations that are habituated to high elevations, including high meso-subtropical altitudinal zones. From November 2023 to March 2024, fecal microscopic analysis and field quadrat survey were utilized to analyze the dietary composition and nutritional characteristics of the tufted deer (Elaphodus cephalophus) during the wintering period. We found that, during the wintering period, the tufted deer fed on 16 plant species belonging to 13 families. Among them, Carex spp.(31.78%), Tripterospermum discoideum (10.02%), Dryopteris atrata (8.16%) and Viburnum erosum (8.14%) were identified as the principal forage species for the tufted deer during winter. In the altitudinal gradient range of 1 400 - 1 700 m, the total supply amount of food source plants for the tufted deer during the wintering period reached 11.55 g/m². Moreover, the nutrient content was higher than in other altitude gradients, suggesting that this altitude band represents the most optimal foraging zone. In the oak forest, the total reserve of food source plants for the tufted deer during the wintering period amounted to 552.92 t, and the unit area biomass was 10.75 g/m², which was substantially higher compared to other forest types. This suggests that oak forest is the most suitable habitat for the tufted deer’s residence and foraging activities. The feeding frequency of the tufted deer on food source plants during the wintering period was positively correlated with the contents of crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber and crude ash in the plants(with correlation coefficients of 0.74, 0.56, 0.29 and 0.67, respectively), while demonstrating a negative correlation with the tannin content(R = -0.65). These findings can help to understand the feeding characteristics of the tufted deer in China. Our study provides crucial data for the evaluation of habitat quality and management of the tufted deer based on the composition of the food during the overwintering period，which also have important reference value in the field of Cetartiodactyla conservation.