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Articles 1 - 16 of 16
Full-Text Articles in Ornithology
False-Positive Detections In Avian Auditory Surveys: Effects Of Song Number And Directionality In A Calibration-Based Immersive Sound Environment, Katia Elena Chavez
False-Positive Detections In Avian Auditory Surveys: Effects Of Song Number And Directionality In A Calibration-Based Immersive Sound Environment, Katia Elena Chavez
Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts
Detection-based surveys are widely conducted to monitor wildlife populations and provide data for estimating density and abundance. Avian count surveys are especially common because birds respond quickly to habitat degradation and restoration, making them effective indicator species. However, these detection-based surveys rely heavily on human observers and are prone to errors. If left unaddressed, these errors can bias estimates of species occurrence, and abundance, leading to misleading ecological inferences and management decisions. False-positive errors have received limited attention, in part because they are difficult to identify without independent confirmation of true species. To investigate false-positive rates in a controlled setting, …
Binoculars To Bytes: Development And Field Validation Of An Ai-Driven System For Avian Monitoring, Christian J. Dupree
Binoculars To Bytes: Development And Field Validation Of An Ai-Driven System For Avian Monitoring, Christian J. Dupree
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Autonomous camera-trap arrays coupled with artificial-intelligence (AI) vision can lift bird monitoring beyond the spatial, temporal, and labor limits of traditional field surveys. We present Binoculars to Bytes (B2B), an open-source pipeline that turns 180–360° time-lapse imagery into analysis-ready avian data. At Freezout Lake Wildlife Management Area (Montana, USA) the system ran four-hour morning deployments during spring and fall migrations (2023–2024). A YOLO-NAS detector, incrementally refined with a “Specialized Localized Iterative Model” workflow, quadrupled local accuracy and, after confidence-based species-binning, cut false-positive rates in half. Daily AI species lists were benchmarked against contemporaneous eBird citizen-science checklists and recovered ≥ …
Telomeres: A Tool To Assess The Impacts Of Mining Contaminants On Riparian Songbirds, Lillian Krach, Bridger Creel, Megan Fylling, Zac Cheviron, Creagh Breuner
Telomeres: A Tool To Assess The Impacts Of Mining Contaminants On Riparian Songbirds, Lillian Krach, Bridger Creel, Megan Fylling, Zac Cheviron, Creagh Breuner
Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts
Mining has left massive environmental and physical scars across the landscape. Aquatic and riparian landscapes in particular have been significantly impacted by traditional mining practices. Waste products left over from hard-rock mining leech heavy metals onto the landscape and these metals spread from headwater streams to major waterways (Lottermoser 2010). Heavy metals have been shown to cause physiological stress and challenges to organisms depending on the metal and the concentration (Baos et al. 2019, Boyd & Rajakaruna 2013). While some mining-impaired areas have undergone restoration efforts, is it enough? Typical restoration methods replace the contaminated floodplain, but not the riverbed …
Determining Species-Specific False-Positive Rates Using Visual And Auditory Cues: A Case Study With Sagebrush Steppe Songbirds, Amelia K. Evavold
Determining Species-Specific False-Positive Rates Using Visual And Auditory Cues: A Case Study With Sagebrush Steppe Songbirds, Amelia K. Evavold
Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts
Errors in wildlife field data threaten to bias resulting abundance and occupancy estimates if not properly accounted for or minimized. Methods to account for false-positive errors in wildlife data have not been as thoroughly developed as those for false-negative errors despite false-positives being present across diverse wildlife taxa and study systems. The calibration method to account for false-positives involves assessing the field detection method to determine how often false-positive errors occur in the field data. Rates can then be incorporated into estimations based on the field data to improve estimation accuracy. This study presents an application of the calibration approach …
Bird Articulation Guide, Kelsey Blaze Miller
Bird Articulation Guide, Kelsey Blaze Miller
Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts
No abstract provided.
Advancing Methods Of Diet Analysis: A Case Study Using Degraded Merlin (Falco Columbarius) Prey Remains, Taylor A. Coon
Advancing Methods Of Diet Analysis: A Case Study Using Degraded Merlin (Falco Columbarius) Prey Remains, Taylor A. Coon
Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts
Prey remains have long been used as a mechanism to approach diet analyses. As understanding diet is key to comprehending ecosystem dynamics, prey remains identification requires a unique methodological approach to determine diversity within a sample. With the advancement of technology, molecular protocols designed for species-specific identification have improved to incredible accuracy and precision. Yet, the visual identification method has remained a predominant technique within diet studies. With entry-level observers, we matched visual identifications with molecular-based methods to quantify the accuracy of the visual identification method. This study determined what fraction of visually identified prey remains could be correctly identified …
Body Temperature And Reproductive Effort In A Long-Lived Tropical Songbird, Holly R. Jackson
Body Temperature And Reproductive Effort In A Long-Lived Tropical Songbird, Holly R. Jackson
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Heat production relative to dissipation rates have constrained reproductive effort and reduced fitness in short-lived, temperate birds. To determine whether heat constrains reproductive effort in long-lived taxa with low reproductive effort, we experimentally clipped plumage from tropical Gray-throated babblers (Stachyris nigriceps) to increase heat dissipation rates. Contrary to findings in short-lived species, we found no strong evidence of heat dissipation constraints on reproductive effort in our mid-elevation study. Clipped adults did not increase feeding rates compared to controls, but clipped females did spend more time incubating and brooding eggs and young. Increased time in the nest may reduce increased heat …
The Intersection Of Past And Present, Hannah Welzbacker
The Intersection Of Past And Present, Hannah Welzbacker
Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects
Science often faces a crossroad between the past and present. Ever changing technology allows us to make new discoveries while at the same time, elements from past cultures need preserving. The three stories in this portfolio all highlight the intersection of past and present and how they can coexist. The first story focuses on a technological breakthrough that allows local researchers to better understand nocturnal migrations using acoustic monitoring. The second story explains the controversial Mayan Train project moving through South America and the implications for the economy, environment and culture. The final piece captures how members of the Blackfeet …
Effects Of Slope Upon Hind Limb Kinematics In Chukar Partridge (Alectoris Chukar), Anna T. Kenney
Effects Of Slope Upon Hind Limb Kinematics In Chukar Partridge (Alectoris Chukar), Anna T. Kenney
Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts
Ground dwelling birds must scale all kinds of complex terrain in order to survive in their natural environments. For instance, Alectoris chukar live on steep hillsides with slopes of up to 60° or 172.3% slope. We undertook the present study to improve understanding of how birds successfully traverse such complex terrain. Using a high speed camera, we analyzed the hind limb kinematics of chukars during normal locomotion on a 10° and 35° incline, decline, and level slope. We compared the data collected from the video recordings, which we had used to identify and digitize the bony landmarks, between all conditions. …
Golden Eagle Resource Selection And Environmental Drivers Of Reproduction In The Northern Range Of Yellowstone National Park, David Brown Haines
Golden Eagle Resource Selection And Environmental Drivers Of Reproduction In The Northern Range Of Yellowstone National Park, David Brown Haines
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
In the United States (US), National Parks are considered the “crown jewels” of protected lands. However, the importance of National Parks to wildlife populations and the species that inhabit them is not often quantified, thus, requiring a better understanding of National Parks as a conservation tool. Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) are a North American species of conservation concern and territories in the northern range of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) are relatively dense. However, average reproductive rates over the past ten years (2011-2020) have been low (productivity = 0.34, nest success = 28%). The contrast of high density and …
The Evolution Of Dragons, Laura J. Mayfield
The Evolution Of Dragons, Laura J. Mayfield
Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts
Dragons have been depicted in human art as early as 4500 BCE. For centuries, these fantasy creatures have inspired countless folk and fantasy tales, as well as appearing in the art of different cultures around the world. Now there are thousands of different depictions of these huge, flying, fire-breathing lizards, but are any of them possible? In this study, I reference peer-reviewed scientific articles, phylogenetic analysis, and paleoart studies to create biologically-sound dragons. Basing the dragon lineage on a real branch of webbed-winged scansoriopterygids—an extinct family of climbing and gliding maniraptoran dinosaurs—I explored the possible wing-structure, fire-breathing abilities, and effects …
Quantifying False Positives In Avian Survey Data, Kaitlyn M. Strickfaden
Quantifying False Positives In Avian Survey Data, Kaitlyn M. Strickfaden
Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts
Imperfect detection is a known issue when conducting count-based surveys in wildlife studies. False positive detections, observed occurrences of individuals that truly are not present, are often assumed to not occur. This assumption can bias detection rates and create misleading results when calculating population estimates. Survey methods such as the dependent double-observer method are suggested to reduce the occurrence of false positives (Nichols et al. 2000). My study quantified and compared rates of false positives in a single-observer method and a dependent double-observer method using computer-generated auditory surveys. I categorized volunteer observers as either inexperienced or experienced and asked them …
Lewis’S Woodpecker Nest Success And Habitat Selection In Cottonwood Floodplain Versus Burned Conifer Forests, William M. Blake
Lewis’S Woodpecker Nest Success And Habitat Selection In Cottonwood Floodplain Versus Burned Conifer Forests, William M. Blake
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Breeding habitat selection influences reproductive outcomes. Habitat selection may be adaptive and benefit populations, but it can also be maladaptive with negative consequences for populations. Understanding habitat selection and its influence on reproductive success, especially in species of concern, is critical for effective management. Lewis’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) is a Species of Concern that has experienced national population declines. We studied its abundance and reproductive success in two commonly selected breeding forest types (i.e., cottonwood floodplain and mixed-conifer burned), and nest-site characteristics (nest availability, food availability, and vegetation attributes) that have the potential to yield strong differences in …
High-Resolution Mapping Of Hierarchical Greater Sage-Grouse Nesting Habitat: A Grain-Spectrum Approach In Northwestern Wyoming, Robert T. Haynam Iii
High-Resolution Mapping Of Hierarchical Greater Sage-Grouse Nesting Habitat: A Grain-Spectrum Approach In Northwestern Wyoming, Robert T. Haynam Iii
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Our overall objective was to create a probabilistic nesting-habitat map for the Jackson Hole sage-grouse population that would have utility as a tool for future research, conservation, and management. The models that we developed for this purpose were specified to evaluate whether sage-grouse may be selecting nesting-habitat characteristics simultaneously at various spatial scales. Our spatially-explicit landscape-scale research was implemented primarily with readily available National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) data. All nesting data was collected from 2007-2010. We tested how a broad range of grain sizes (spatial resolution) of covariate values affected the fit to logistic regression models used to estimate …
Testing Factors Influencing Identification Rates Of Similar Species During Abundance Surveys, Anne Louise Schaefer, Paul Lukacs, Michelle L. Kissling
Testing Factors Influencing Identification Rates Of Similar Species During Abundance Surveys, Anne Louise Schaefer, Paul Lukacs, Michelle L. Kissling
Wildlife Biology Faculty Publications
Most abundance estimation methods assume that all sampled individuals are identified correctly. In practice, this assumption may be difficult to meet and can bias abundance estimates, especially when morphologically similar species overlap in range. Over the past 2 decades, Kittlitz's Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) populations appear to have declined across parts of their Alaskan range, where they co-occur with the Marbled Murrelet (B. marmoratus). Recently, the reliability of Kittlitz's Murrelet declines have been questioned due to variability and uncertainty in species identification between the 2 species. We conduced a field experiment to quantify misidentification and partial identification …
Cows And Plows: Science-Based Conservation For Grassland Songbirds In Agricultural Landscapes, Marisa K. Lipsey
Cows And Plows: Science-Based Conservation For Grassland Songbirds In Agricultural Landscapes, Marisa K. Lipsey
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
Temperate grasslands are among earth’s most imperiled ecosystems. In North America, steep declines of endemic songbird populations indicate that grassland loss and degradation may be approaching critical levels. Grasslands are agricultural landscapes largely (~85%) under private ownership with little formal protection status. Remaining bird populations depend on grazing lands that have not been converted to cropland. We combine regional data from a hotspot for grassland bird diversity (northeast Montana, USA; 26,500-km2) with continental data spanning the northern Great Plains (1,000,000-km2) to evaluate how land use and management influence bird distribution and abundance. Regionally, habitat used by seven grassland specialists spanned …