Integrating automated acoustic vocalization data and point count surveys for estimation of bird abundance

Doser JW, Weed AS, Finley AO, Zipkin EF. 2021. Integrating automated acoustic vocalization data and point count surveys for estimation of bird abundance. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 12:1040–1049

We present an integrated modelling framework that combines high-quality but temporally sparse bird point count survey data with acoustic recordings. Our models account for imperfect detection in both data types and false positive errors in the acoustic data. Using simulations, we compare the accuracy and precision of abundance estimates using differing amounts of acoustic vocalizations obtained from a clustering algorithm, point count data, and a subset of manually validated acoustic vocalizations. We also use our modelling framework in a case study to estimate abundance of the Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) in Vermont, USA.

Type
Journal Article
Authors
Doser, Jeffrey; Weed, Aaron; Finley, Andrew; Zipkin, Elise
Units
ACAD , ELRO , HOFR , MABI , MIMA , MORR , NETN , ROVA , SAGA , SAIR , SARA , VAMA , WEFA
Keywords
aru, autonomous recording unit, basal area, biodiversity, bird monitoring, birds, eastern wood pewee, forest structure, forest succession, long-term monitoring, National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring, tree, tree growth rate, vital signs, x#breedingLandbird, x#forestHealth, x#journalArticle, x#NETN, x#outreach
Subjects
Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Forest/Woodland Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Birds

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