A comparison of eBird data with wildlife rehabilitation records for a US subtropical city

Keywords: eBird, Biogeography, Biodiversity, Urban Ecology, Animal Geographies
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Sunday
Session Start / End Time: 2/27/2022 02:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/27/2022 03:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 17

Abstract

The study of urban avifauna has benefited from the data hosted on eBird, a widely used platform for the collection and aggregation of bird observations. However, these data are often specific to preferred birding locations. These hotspots of birding activities are also often associated with certain habitat characteristics as well as conditions related to accessibility. Moreover, while birders are a diverse population, even when their demographics are available through online sources, represent only a subset of the individuals engaging with wildlife in developed landscapes. In this research we compared 17 years of geocoded records (2000-2017) from eBird with those from a wildlife rehabilitation center serving the city Tallahassee (Florida), a region recognized for its high bird diversity. Our comparisons explore the spatial and temporal characteristics of these datasets, as well as the key differences in bird composition and abundances they recorded. We also examine the relationships between eBird hotspot locations, their demographic characteristics, and local participation in the recovery of injured avifauna.