Biologist Finds New, More Accurate Way of Monitoring Bird Populations

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A new method of monitoring bird populations that takes into account changes in their songs over time could help scientists understand why some species are declining in the boreal forest.

A new method of monitoring bird populations that takes into account changes in their songs over time could help scientists understand why some species are declining in the boreal forest.

University of Alberta biologist Péter Sólymos said current tools to monitor bird populations tend to underestimate the number of birds in a given area, partly because they don’t always account for changes in bird calls over time—whether it’s a single day or an entire year.

“Early in the season, everyone sings like crazy to find a mate, while later in the season birds are busy nesting or feeding their young. Likewise, some birds sing in the morning and not in the afternoon, while some individual birds sing more than others of the same species,” he explained.

Read more at University of Alberta

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