Register      Login
Emu Emu Society
Journal of BirdLife Australia
RESEARCH ARTICLE

A bird survey method for Australian tropical savannas

Justin J. Perry A C , Alex S. Kutt A , Genevieve C. Perkins A , Eric P. Vanderduys A and Nick J. Colman B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Australian Tropical Science and Innovation Precinct, PMB PO Aitkenvale, Qld 4814, Australia.

B Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: justin.perry@csiro.au

Emu 112(3) 261-266 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU12007
Submitted: 19 January 2012  Accepted: 30 April 2012   Published: 26 July 2012

Abstract

The tropical savanna of northern Australia is extensive and relatively homogenous compared to the open woodlands of temperate Australia. The avifauna of this biome is unevenly dispersed in the landscape. A standard count method for birds using a timed search along a 100-m transect with eight repeated counts per site over 4 days, has been used extensively over the past decade or more in these savannas, but its effectiveness has never been critically examined. We used data collected from across northern Queensland from 2004 to 2010, comprising 502 single-survey sites (each transect counted eight times) and 60 sites re-sampled four times from 2004 to 2008, to examine species records and accumulation of species over time with respect to time of day, increasing number of repeat counts(from 2 to 32 counts), species turnover, vegetation density effects and distance to first observation. Over 70% of the species in tropical savannas were easily observed and for 93% of the species vegetation structure did not alter detectability. Richness and abundance did not vary significantly across the day. We found that repeated sampling over multiple days, and at different times of the day, provides the best estimate of species richness at a site, and improved detectability.

Additional keywords: detection, repeat counts, spatial and temporal variation, species accumulation.


References

Barrett, G., Silcocks, A., Barry, S., Cunningham, R., and Poulter, R. (2003). ‘The New Atlas of Australian Birds.’ (Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union: Melbourne.)

Bibby, C., Burgess, N., Hill, D., and Mustoe, S. (2000). ‘Bird Census Techniques.’ 2nd edn. (Academic Press: London.)

Bowman, D., Brown, G. K., Braby, M. F., Brown, J. R., Cook, L. G., Crisp, M. D., Ford, F., Haberle, S., Hughes, J., Isagi, Y., Joseph, L., McBride, J., Nelson, G., and Ladiges, P. Y. (2010). Biogeography of the Australian monsoon tropics. Journal of Biogeography 37, 201–216.
Biogeography of the Australian monsoon tropics.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Buckland, S. T., and Elston, D. A. (1993). Empirical models for the spatial distribution of wildlife. Journal of Applied Ecology 30, 478–495.
Empirical models for the spatial distribution of wildlife.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Chan, K. (1999). Bird numbers in drought and non-drought years in tropical central Queensland, Australia. Tropical Ecology 40, 63–68.

Clarke, K. R., and Gorley, R. N. (2006). ‘PRIMER v6 User Manual and Program.’ (PRIMER-E Ltd: Plymouth, UK.)

Colwell, R. K., and Coddington, J. A. (1994). Estimating terrestrial biodiversity through extrapolation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 345, 101–118.
Estimating terrestrial biodiversity through extrapolation.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 1:STN:280:DyaK2M%2Fmt1GltA%3D%3D&md5=fde3c06b5e91478688d81b848c7b352eCAS |

Cullen, R., Moran, E., and Hughey, K. F. D. (2005). Measuring the success and cost effectiveness of New Zealand multiple-species projects to the conservation of threatened species. Ecological Economics 53, 311–323.
Measuring the success and cost effectiveness of New Zealand multiple-species projects to the conservation of threatened species.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Dorazio, R. M., Royle, A. J., Soderstrom, B., and Glimskar, A. (2006). Estimating species richness and accumulation by modeling species occurrence and detectability. Ecology 87, 842–854.
Estimating species richness and accumulation by modeling species occurrence and detectability.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Eyre, T. J., Fisher, A., Hunt, L. P., and Kutt, A. S. (2011). Measure it to better manage it: a biodiversity monitoring framework for the Australian rangelands. Rangeland Journal 33, 239–253.
Measure it to better manage it: a biodiversity monitoring framework for the Australian rangelands.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Fox, I. D., Neldner, V. J., Wilson, G. W., and Bannink, P. J. (2001). ‘The Vegetation of the Australian Tropical Savannas.’ (Environmental Protection Agency: Brisbane.)

Lindenmayer, D. B., Wood, J. T., and MacGregor, C. (2009). Do observer differences in bird detection affect inferences from large-scale ecological studies? Emu 109, 100–106.
Do observer differences in bird detection affect inferences from large-scale ecological studies?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Loyn, R. H. (1986). The 20 minute search – a simple method for counting forest birds. Corella 10, 58–60.

Murphy, S. A., Legge, S. M., Heathcote, J., and Mulder, E. (2010). The effects of early and late-season fires on mortality, dispersal, physiology and breeding of Red-backed Fairy-wrens (Malurus melanocephalus). Wildlife Research 37, 145–155.
The effects of early and late-season fires on mortality, dispersal, physiology and breeding of Red-backed Fairy-wrens (Malurus melanocephalus).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Neldner, V. J., Wilson, B. A., Thompson, E. J., and Dillewaard, H. A. (2004). Methodology for survey and mapping of regional ecosystems and vegetation communities in Queensland. Version 3. Queensland Environmental Protection Agency, Brisbane.

Pavey, C. R., and Nano, C. E. M. (2009). Bird assemblages of arid Australia: vegetation patterns have a greater effect than disturbance and resource pulses. Journal of Arid Environments 73, 634–642.
Bird assemblages of arid Australia: vegetation patterns have a greater effect than disturbance and resource pulses.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Perry, J. J., Kutt, A. S., Garnett, S. T., Crowley, G. M., Vanderduys, E. P., and Perkins, G. C. (2011). Changes in the avifauna of Cape York Peninsula over a period of 9 years: the relative effects of fire, vegetation type and climate. Emu 111, 120–131.
Changes in the avifauna of Cape York Peninsula over a period of 9 years: the relative effects of fire, vegetation type and climate.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Quinn, G. P., and Keough, M. J. (2002). ‘Experimental Design and Data Analysis for Biologists.’ (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.)

Reside, A. E., VanDerWal, J., Kutt, A. S., and Perkins, G. C. (2010). Weather, not climate, defines distributions of vagile bird species. PLoS ONE 5, e13569.
Weather, not climate, defines distributions of vagile bird species.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Rittenhouse, C. D., Pidgeon, A. M., Albright, T. P., Culbert, P. D., Clayton, M. K., Flather, C. H., Huang, C. Q., Masek, J. G., Stewart, S. I., and Radeloff, V. C. (2010). Conservation of forest birds: evidence of a shifting baseline in community structure. PLoS ONE 5, e11938.
Conservation of forest birds: evidence of a shifting baseline in community structure.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Thompson, G. G., and Thompson, S. A. (2007). Using species accumulation curves to estimate trapping effort in fauna surveys and species richness. Austral Ecology 32, 564–569.
Using species accumulation curves to estimate trapping effort in fauna surveys and species richness.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Watson, D. M. (2003). The ‘standardized search’: an improved way to conduct bird surveys. Austral Ecology 28, 515–525.
The ‘standardized search’: an improved way to conduct bird surveys.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Watson, D. M. (2004). Comparative evaluation of new approaches to survey birds. Wildlife Research 31, 1–11.
Comparative evaluation of new approaches to survey birds.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Williams, S. E., Shoo, L. P., Henriod, R., and Pearson, R. G. (2010). Elevational gradients in species abundance, assemblage structure and energy use of rainforest birds in the Australian Wet Tropics bioregion. Austral Ecology 35, 650–664.
Elevational gradients in species abundance, assemblage structure and energy use of rainforest birds in the Australian Wet Tropics bioregion.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Wintle, B. A., McCarthy, M. A., Parris, K. M., and Burgman, M. A. (2004). Precision and bias of methods for estimating point survey detection probabilities. Ecological Applications 14, 703–712.
Precision and bias of methods for estimating point survey detection probabilities.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Woinarski, J. C. Z. (1993). A cut-and-paste community: birds of monsoon rainforests in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory. Emu 93, 100–120.
A cut-and-paste community: birds of monsoon rainforests in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Woinarski, J. C. Z., Williams, R. J., Price, O., and Rankmore, B. (2005). Landscapes without boundaries: wildlife and their environments in northern Australia. Wildlife Research 32, 377–388.
Landscapes without boundaries: wildlife and their environments in northern Australia.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |