Surveying populations of breeding grebes in prairie parkland Canada: Estimation problems and conservation applications

Annual ground surveys of mid-continent waterfowl may provide a monitoring framework for other wetland-associated species. We used a repeated-counts method to estimate detection probabilities (ρ̂) of adult horned (Podiceps auritus) and pied-billed (Podylimbus podiceps) grebes on the Waterfowl Breedin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Wildlife Society bulletin 2014-03, Vol.38 (1), p.14-17
Main Authors: Routhier, Daniel D., Dufour, Kevin W., Bidwell, Mark T., Clark, Robert G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aviculture
Breeding
detection probability
Habitat conservation
horned grebe
Marshes
Original Article
pied-billed grebe
Podiceps auritus
Podylimbus podiceps
population monitoring
Prairies
Waterfowl
Wetlands
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife habitats
Wildlife population estimation
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Summary:Annual ground surveys of mid-continent waterfowl may provide a monitoring framework for other wetland-associated species. We used a repeated-counts method to estimate detection probabilities (ρ̂) of adult horned (Podiceps auritus) and pied-billed (Podylimbus podiceps) grebes on the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey (WBPHS) ground component conducted annually each May in the prairie and parkland ecoregions of Canada. Detection probabilities (ρ̂±SE) were higher, more precise, and more consistent through time for horned grebes (0.52±0.06 and 0.44±0.05 in 2010 and 2011, respectively) than for pied-billed grebes (0.25±0.08 and 0.11±0.05 in 2010 and 2011, respectively). Our results suggest that the ground component of the WBPHS could be used to monitor horned grebes in these ecoregions. Although an active call-broadcast component would be valuable for obtaining unbiased abundance estimates for horned grebes, such a component would be critical for monitoring pied-billed grebes.
ISSN:1938-5463
1938-5463
2328-5540
DOI:10.1002/wsb.362