Estimating Little Penguin population sizes using automated acoustic monitoring and citizen science

Abstract

While automated recorders are becoming a favourable tool to monitor birds, methods to analyse the large amount of data generated and their reliability for estimating population size are still limited. In this study, I compared Little Penguins Eudyptula minor call detection between a trained researcher, amateur volunteers and an automated software, assessed which environmental factors affect call variability and detectability and determined the feasibility of automated recorders to estimate population sizes. I found that (1) the number of calls detected by the trained researcher was significantly higher than those detected by the amateur volunteers and automated software, (2) neither wind speed nor moon illumination affected call variability and detectability, and (3) six automated recorders estimated between 3% (large colony) and 14–26% (small colony) of the population. This study contributes to our understanding of the efficacy of automated recorders for avian monitoring.