Title
Using Long-Term Citizen Science Data To Understand Distribution And Habitat Use Of An Irruptive Species
Abstract
Unpredictable movement patterns of irruptive migrants make them difficult to study through structured survey methods. We used citizen science data to assess the distribution and habitat usage of an irruptive migrant outside its core area of occurrence. We curated 50 years of citizen science data on Red crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) in Arkansas and field observations to 1) assess their distribution and habitat use outside their core area of occur-rence, 2) determine if Red crossbills breed in Arkansas, 3) characterize the occurrence and abundance of Red crossbills in Arkansas, and 4) identify "call types" or ecotypes of Red crossbills present in Arkansas during 2017-18 irruption. We constructed a sample bias-corrected species distribution model using elevation, land cover type, and monthly temperature and precipitation as predictors for MaxEnt algorithm. The most significant predictors of Red crossbill distribution were land cover type, elevation, and precipitation of October. The probability of Red Crossbill occurrence was high in developed areas, areas with large water bodies, open areas, and evergreen forests. Red crossbills were found to breed in Arkansas based on field observations and historical records. The time-series captures the major irruption years within last 50 years in Arkansas. It also depicts months when the probability of finding Crossbills in Arkansas is highest. In addition, we documented four "call types" or ecotypes of Red crossbills in Arkansas, including type 1 and 4 that were previously unreported. Our study illustrates utility of citizen science observations for understanding the occurrence, distribution, and habitat use of difficult to study nomadic species.
Year
DOI
Venue
2021
10.1016/j.ecoinf.2021.101377
ECOLOGICAL INFORMATICS
Keywords
DocType
Volume
Red crossbill, Ecotype, Vocalization, Nomadic species, MaxEnt, Arkansas
Journal
64
ISSN
Citations 
PageRank 
1574-9541
0
0.34
References 
Authors
0
4
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Anant Deshwal100.34
Pooja Panwar200.34
Joseph C. Neal300.34
Matthew A. Young400.34