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Effects of Broadcasting Conspecific and Heterospecific Calls on Detection of Marsh Birds in North America

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Abstract

Standardized protocols that include the use of call-broadcast have recently been proposed for marsh birds in North America. We used data from point-count surveys collected across North America over eight years to evaluate the extent to which each of 13 focal marsh bird species responded to conspecific and heterospecific call-broadcast relative to passive survey methods. Surveyors detected more individuals during the 1-minute of conspecific call-broadcast compared to each of the five 1-minute passive segments and all of the 1-minute heterospecific call-broadcast segments for all species. Surveyors also detected more individuals during most of the 1-minute heterospecific call-broadcast segments compared to the 1-minute passive segments. Most birds responded to conspecific call-broadcast quickly (within 1 min), but we found some evidence for a lag time in birds’ response to conspecific calls. The percent increase in the number of birds detected as a result of conspecific call-broadcast (relative to passive survey methods) varied between 14% (American bitterns [Botaurus lentiginosus]) to 632% (purple gallinules [Porphyrula martinica]). We recommend the use of point-count surveys that include both passive and call-broadcast segments for numerous marsh birds when collecting data to assess occupancy, evaluate the effects of wetland management practices, and estimate population trends of marsh birds.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the hundreds of surveyors (including many individuals from the National Wildlife Refuge System) from across North America who conducted marsh bird surveys and provided their data to the pooled database. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey provided funding for coordination, data entry, data proofing, and data analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, 325 Biological Sciences East, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Courtney J. Conway

  2. School of Natural Resources and the Environment, 325 Biological Sciences East, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Christopher P. Nadeau

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  1. Courtney J. Conway
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  2. Christopher P. Nadeau
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Correspondence to Courtney J. Conway.

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Conway, C.J., Nadeau, C.P. Effects of Broadcasting Conspecific and Heterospecific Calls on Detection of Marsh Birds in North America. Wetlands 30, 358–368 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-010-0030-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-010-0030-1

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