Hydrological processes are crucial factors affecting the suitability and area changes of waterbird habitats in floodplain wetlands. Currently, extreme hydrological events triggered by global warming have become more frequent. Poyang Lake experienced extreme flooding in 2020 and extreme drought in 2022, and a winter flood in 2015. However, impacts of extreme hydrological events on wintering habitat area of waterbirds in Poyang Lake remain unclear. This study extracted data on the wintering waterbird habitats in Poyang Lake from satellite imagery between 2013 and 2023 for the period from September to February of the following year. By comparing the spatial and temporal changes in waterbird wintering habitats between extreme hydrological event years with normal hydrological years, the study explores the impact of extreme hydrological events on wintering waterbird habitats area at Poyang Lake. The findings are: 1) The area loss of wintering habitats for waterbirds in Poyang Lake caused by extreme flooding in summer (EFS), extreme drought in late summer and autumn (EDSA), and winter flooding (WF) reached as high as 67.62%, 29.83%, and 18.18%, respectively; 2) EFS and EDSA led to a significant reduction in the area of waterbird wintering habitats from September to November, but they did not reduce the habitat area during the critical wintering period (winter) for the waterbirds. Although the intensity of WF was not as severe as that of EFS and EDSA, WF resulted in an average habitat area loss of 14.31% during the critical wintering period for waterbirds; 3) There are significant spatiotemporal differences in the impact of extreme hydrological events on the waterbirds" wintering habitats in Poyang Lake, which are related to the process of the extreme hydrological events and the lake"s elevation. The study"s results are valuable for the management of Poyang Lake and similar floodplain wetlands, as well as for waterbird conservation.