Abstract
The effectiveness of surveys of breeding birds varies due to multiple factors, with the primary being imperfect detection, which is particularly severe for elusive species. For example, the territory mapping method requires surveying an area multiple times a season to compensate for missing individuals during single surveys. Novel methods require much less effort in the field and include estimation of both detection probability and abundance corrected for individuals that went undetected. The aim of this study was to check if point counts and model-based results provide estimates similar to the ones from the territory mapping method. We studied the abundance of two forest birds—Goldcrest Regulus regulus and Firecrest R. ignicapilla—on three permanent census plots in the Białowieża Forest (E Poland). We compared abundance estimates resulting from the territory mapping method in its ‘standard’ (~ 10 visits) and intensive (~ 20 visits) approaches. We also performed point counts at the same plots using distance sampling methodology and hierarchical models in an attempt to get unbiased estimates by correcting for imperfect detection. We found that the standard territory mapping method produces much lower abundances than model-based estimates, which was particularly evident for the more numerous Firecrest. At the same time, results from point counts were more consistent with numbers from the intensive territory mapping. Our findings suggest that applying point counts and distance sampling models meet modern standards by considering various effects in abundance, availability and detection processes along with providing uncertainty of their estimates. We assume that our results might be applicable to other elusive species.
Zusammenfassung
Bestandsschätzungen anhand von Punktzählungen und Revierkartierungen: Vergleich verschiedener Ansätze für zwei Regulus-Arten
Die Effektivität von Brutvogelerhebungen variiert aufgrund mehrerer Faktoren, wobei der wichtigste Faktor die unzureichende Erfassung (d. h. die eingeschränkte Wahrnehmung durch den Menschen) ist, die besonders bei der Erfassung schwer erfassbarer Arten eine Rolle spielt. Die Methode der Revierkartierung erfordert beispielsweise, dass ein Gebiet mehrmals pro Saison begangen wird, um dem Problem entgegenzuwirken, dass Individuen bei einzelnen Erhebungen übersehen werden. Neuartige Methoden erfordern einen wesentlich geringeren Aufwand im Feld und umfassen sowohl eine Abschätzung der Entdeckungswahrscheinlichkeit als auch des Bestandes, der um nicht entdeckte Individuen korrigiert wurde. Ziel dieser Studie war es, zu überprüfen, ob Punktzählungen und modellbasierte Ergebnisse ähnliche Schätzungen liefern wie die Methode der Revierkartierung. Dazu untersuchten wir den Bestand von zwei Waldvogelarten – des Wintergoldhähnchens Regulus regulus und des Sommergoldhähnchens R. ignicapilla – auf drei festgelegte Zählflächen im Białowieża-Urwald (Ostpolen). Wir verglichen die Bestandsschätzungen, die auf Revierkartierungen in einer „standardisierter “ (~ 10 Begehungen) und einer intensivierten (~ 20 Begehungen) Form basieren. Außerdem haben wir auf denselben Flächen Punktzählungen durchgeführt, wobei wir die „Distance-Sampling-Methode “ und hierarchische Modelle verwendet haben, um über die Korrektur unzureichender Erfassungen unverfälschte Schätzungen zu erhalten. Wir fanden heraus, dass die standardisierte Revierkartierung zu wesentlich geringeren Bestandszahlen führt als modellbasierte Schätzungen, was besonders beim in größerer Anzahl vorhandenen Sommergoldhähnchen deutlich wurde. Gleichzeitig stimmten die Ergebnisse der Punktzählungen besser mit den Zahlen der intensiven Revierkartierung überein. Unsere Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass die Anwendung von Punktzählungen und hierarchischem „Distance-Sampling “ modernen Standards entspricht, indem sie verschiedene Effekte in Bezug auf Bestand, Verwendbarkeit und Erfassungsprozesse berücksichtigt und zugehörige Schätzungsungenauigkeiten liefert. Wir gehen davon aus, dass unsere Ergebnisse auch auf andere schwer erfassbare Arten übertragbar sind.
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Data are available on request from the corresponding author.
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Acknowledgements
We are very thankful to Tomasz Wesołowski, Cezary Mitrus, Dorota Czeszczewik and Fabian Przepióra who participated in territory mapping surveys. We thank Daniel O’Connell for improving our English. We are grateful to Thomas Gottschalk and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on the earlier version of this paper.
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This study was supported by the University of Wrocław.
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All authors contributed to the study design, data collection in the field and material preparation. Data analysis was performed by Grzegorz Neubauer and Julia Barczyk. Julia Barczyk wrote the first draft of the manuscript and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Barczyk, J., Cholewa, M. & Neubauer, G. Abundance estimation from point counts and territory mapping: comparing different approaches for two Regulus species. J Ornithol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-024-02151-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-024-02151-6