Location matters: evaluating Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) boom chorus propagation

Raynor, Edward J.; Whalen, Cara E.; Brown, Mary Bomberger; Powell, Larkin A.

doi:10.5751/ace-01126-120217

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…However, this does not appear to be true over shorter time frames, due to the considerable daily variation in call activity. This variation is likely the result of factors such as the date within the lekking season, and weather conditions affecting bird behaviour-factors that could also affect lek counts, and which are perhaps not considered fully within that method at the current time (Raynor et al 2017;Fremgen et al 2018). In addition, the mobility of Capercaillie around the lek site, with birds potentially displaying from different places on different mornings, may affect their detectability on a day-to-day basis, and adverse weather conditions (i.e.…”

Section: Capercaillie Call Activity Is Related To Lek Count Numbersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The age and sex biases of lek counts are well recognized (Storch 1997;Mollet et al 2015). In addition, there are a number of temporal and environmental conditions that can affect detectability and occupancy at leks (Walsh et al 2004;Raynor et al 2017;Fremgen et al 2018). An understanding of these factors is critical to improving population estimates for the species being monitored (Drummer et al 2011;Sadoti et al 2016;Priyadarshani et al 2018).…”

Section: Capercaillie Call Activity Is Related To Temporal and Enviromentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparison between lek counts and bioacoustic recording for monitoring Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus L.)

Abrahams

2019

J Ornithol

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Bioacoustics is the study of animal sounds. The importance of bioacoustics for biological research and the survey and monitoring of bird populations is becoming increasingly recognized. This is particularly the case for the capture of long-term data on rare species that are prone to disturbance or are otherwise difficult to survey. The global population of the Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus L.; hereafter 'Capercaillie') is declining, and its status in the UK is highly precarious. Current methods for monitoring this species are subject to a number of constraints that affect the quality of collected data. Bioacoustics could provide a useful complement to these existing methods, in particular for the assessment of activity at leks. This study used acoustic recorders to survey Capercaillie vocal activity for a month at ten lek sites, and quantified the numbers of calls produced. Traditional lek count surveys were undertaken at all sites during this time. The recorded vocal activity data (1) correlated with the number of birds recorded by human surveyors, (2) indicated that traditional surveys may be causing some disturbance at the lek sites, and (3) showed that call numbers are related to temporal and environmental variables. The bioacoustic approach can provide high-quality, long-term data, that can be effectively combined with the traditional lek survey technique. It should be utilized more frequently as a survey and monitoring tool to provide structured, coherent results that can be used to aid conservation efforts.

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Section: Capercaillie Call Activity Is Related To Lek Count Numbersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Capercaillie Call Activity Is Related To Temporal and Enviromentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison between lek counts and bioacoustic recording for monitoring Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus L.)

Abrahams

2019

J Ornithol

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“…The chorus is constant in frequency and predictably dominated by the low‐frequency components of the boom vocalization (Whalen et al, ). The distance the chorus travels across the landscape before decreasing into the background noise is highly dynamic (Raynor et al, ), and the variation is explained by an assortment of environmental factors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The environmental influences (Table ) on landscape‐level patterns of sound propagation surrounding leks have not been comprehensively documented for any lekking grouse species, nor have the processes that cause variability in the level of the acoustic signal in the vicinity of the lek been conclusively established (but see Raynor, Whalen, Brown, & Powell, ). Butler, Ballard, Holt, and Whitlaw () used measures of sound intensity within 30 m of two leks of lesser prairie‐chickens ( Tympanuchus pallidicinctus ) to make simple predictions of propagation beyond 30 m.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wind turbine noise limits propagation of greater prairie‐chicken boom chorus, but does it matter?

et al. 2019

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Acoustic signals are often critical elements of mating displays, and lekking male greater prairie‐chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) use their boom vocalization for this purpose. We quantified the acoustic characteristics of the boom chorus created by multiple male greater prairie‐chickens vocalizing simultaneously at leks in Brown County, NE, USA, in 2013 and 2014. We used these data to evaluate (a) the role of the boom chorus in prairie‐chicken breeding dynamics and (b) the impact of a wind energy facility on the acoustic signal of the boom chorus. We sampled the chorus using audio recorders placed in transects extending from leks; the chorus exhibited an average peak frequency of 297 ± 13 Hz. The mean chorus signal‐to‐noise ratio declined from 15.7 dB (50 m) to 2.6 dB (800 m), and wind speed and direction, topography, and relative humidity caused variation in signal‐to‐noise ratio at a given distance and location. Chorus recordings from leks within 1,000 m of a wind turbine had lower signal‐to‐noise ratio (βturbine = −5.659, SE = 1.289) than leks farther from turbines. The chorus signal‐to‐noise ratio increased slightly with more males present on the lek (~0.1 dB for each additional male; βmales = 0.177; SE = 0.037) and considerably more as more females visited the lek (~1.4 dB for each additional female; βfemales = 2.498, SE = 0.235; βfemales2 = −0.309, SE = 0.039). Our results provide support for the signal enhancement hypothesis that proposes the boom chorus is influenced notably by male–male competition for females on the lek, rather than functioning solely to advertise the presence of the lek to recruit females. Our results also suggest the choruses emanating from small leks have the greatest potential to be masked by anthropogenic (wind turbine) noise, which may affect the breeding success of male and female prairie‐chickens.

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“…Some recent work suggests that visual detection thresholds for individual sage‐grouse on leks vary with vegetation density, visual obstructions, and sage‐grouse behavior (Fremgen et al 2016, Baumgardt et al 2017). Aural detection thresholds have not been quantified for sage‐grouse, but evidence from other Galliformes suggests many environmental factors (e.g., wind speed, terrain) can influence aural detection probability (Zimmerman and Gutiérrez 2007, Butler et al 2009, Rusk et al 2009, Raynor et al 2017). For example, larger groups of birds are likely easier to aurally detect than smaller groups (Quinn 1981), so we would expect that leks with more attending males would have higher detection than leks with fewer males.…”

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confidence: 99%

Aural and Visual Detection of Greater Sage‐Grouse Leks: Implications for Population Trend Estimates

et al. 2021

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Counts of greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) at leks have been used in harvest management, Endangered Species Act listing decisions, and land management policies for over half a century. Lek count sampling methods focus on counting male sage‐grouse at known leks, primarily those observed visually from roads or vantage points, but leks are likely missed that are unknown prior to the survey and are difficult to detect while driving between known lek sites. One way to ameliorate this shortfall may be to conduct short point‐count surveys at multiple stops along lek‐survey routes or while driving between lek counts, thereby detecting newly established or unknown leks. To evaluate the feasibility of this approach, we estimated aural and visual detection probability of active sage‐grouse leks during 1‐minute point‐count surveys at known distances and examined the effects of environmental factors on aural lek detection in southern Idaho, USA, 2016–2017. Our results demonstrate that field observers can aurally detect sage‐grouse leks at approximately 3 times greater distances compared to detecting leks visually. The probability of hearing an active lek was highest near the peak of male and female attendance (8 Apr), within an hour of sunrise, on relatively calm and cold days, when the observer was at a higher elevation relative to the lek, and during conditions with no background noise. Detection probability declined with distance and the probability of aural detection was 0.59 at 1 km from a lek when other variables were held at their means. Hence, conducting ≥3 1‐minute surveys along a lek route would be expected to detect ≥93% of all leks within 1.5 km of each survey under the average environmental conditions in our study. Our results suggest that surveys could greatly improve detection of unknown or newly established leks and can facilitate a more accurate assessment of sage‐grouse population trends through lek counts. Moreover, our results demonstrate how environmental factors influence the detection of leks during surveys, and therefore which variables should be considered for inclusion in any future revisions of lek count protocols or in analyses of lek count data. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.

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Location matters: evaluating Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) boom chorus propagation

Cited by 11 publications

References 52 publications

Comparison between lek counts and bioacoustic recording for monitoring Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus L.)

Comparison between lek counts and bioacoustic recording for monitoring Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus L.)

Wind turbine noise limits propagation of greater prairie‐chicken boom chorus, but does it matter?

Aural and Visual Detection of Greater Sage‐Grouse Leks: Implications for Population Trend Estimates

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