Behavioral responses of blue-winged teal and northern shoveler to unmanned aerial vehicle surveys
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become a popular wildlife survey tool. Most research has focused on detecting wildlife using UAVs with less known about behavioral responses. We compared the behavioral responses of breeding blue-winged teal ( Spatula discors ) (n = 151) and northern shovelers (...
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crplos:10.1371/journal.pone.0262393 2024-09-15T18:25:58+00:00 Behavioral responses of blue-winged teal and northern shoveler to unmanned aerial vehicle surveys Ryckman, Mason D. Kemink, Kaylan Felege, Christopher J. Darby, Brian Vandeberg, Gregory S. Ellis-Felege, Susan N. Weckerly, Floyd W. Ducks Unlimited, Inc College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Dakota Department of Biology, University of North Dakota Department of Biology, University of North Dakota North Dakota Department of Commerce 2022 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262393 https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262393 en eng Public Library of Science (PLoS) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ PLOS ONE volume 17, issue 1, page e0262393 ISSN 1932-6203 journal-article 2022 crplos https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262393 2024-08-06T04:10:17Z Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become a popular wildlife survey tool. Most research has focused on detecting wildlife using UAVs with less known about behavioral responses. We compared the behavioral responses of breeding blue-winged teal ( Spatula discors ) (n = 151) and northern shovelers ( Spatula clypeata ) (n = 46) on wetlands flown over with a rotary DJI Matrice 200 quadcopter and control wetlands without flights. Using a GoPro camera affixed to a spotting scope, we conducted focal individual surveys and recorded duck behaviors for 30 minutes before, during, and 30 minutes after UAV flights to determine if ducks flushed or changed in specific activities. We also conducted scan surveys during flights to examine flushing and movement on the entire wetland. Between 24 April and 27 May 2020, we conducted 42 paired (control and flown) surveys. Both teal and shovelers increased proportion of time engaged in overhead vigilance on flown wetlands from pre-flight to during flight (0.008 to 0.020 and 0.006 to 0.032 of observation time, respectively). Both species left the wetland more frequently during flights than ducks on control wetlands. Despite similarities between species, we observed marked differences in time each species spent on active (e.g., feeding, courtship, swimming), resting, and vigilant behaviors during flights. Overall, teal became less active during flights (0.897 to 0.834 of time) while shovelers became more active during this period (0.724 to 0.906 of time). Based upon scan surveys, ducks flushed in 38.1% of surveys while control wetlands only had a single (2.4%) flush during the flight time. We found launch distance was the most important predictor of whether ducks swam for cover or away from the UAV which could result in inaccurate counts. Ducks appear aware of UAVs during flights, but minimal behavioral shifts suggest negative fitness consequences are unlikely. Article in Journal/Newspaper Northern Shoveler Shoveler PLOS PLOS ONE 17 1 e0262393 |
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English |
description |
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become a popular wildlife survey tool. Most research has focused on detecting wildlife using UAVs with less known about behavioral responses. We compared the behavioral responses of breeding blue-winged teal ( Spatula discors ) (n = 151) and northern shovelers ( Spatula clypeata ) (n = 46) on wetlands flown over with a rotary DJI Matrice 200 quadcopter and control wetlands without flights. Using a GoPro camera affixed to a spotting scope, we conducted focal individual surveys and recorded duck behaviors for 30 minutes before, during, and 30 minutes after UAV flights to determine if ducks flushed or changed in specific activities. We also conducted scan surveys during flights to examine flushing and movement on the entire wetland. Between 24 April and 27 May 2020, we conducted 42 paired (control and flown) surveys. Both teal and shovelers increased proportion of time engaged in overhead vigilance on flown wetlands from pre-flight to during flight (0.008 to 0.020 and 0.006 to 0.032 of observation time, respectively). Both species left the wetland more frequently during flights than ducks on control wetlands. Despite similarities between species, we observed marked differences in time each species spent on active (e.g., feeding, courtship, swimming), resting, and vigilant behaviors during flights. Overall, teal became less active during flights (0.897 to 0.834 of time) while shovelers became more active during this period (0.724 to 0.906 of time). Based upon scan surveys, ducks flushed in 38.1% of surveys while control wetlands only had a single (2.4%) flush during the flight time. We found launch distance was the most important predictor of whether ducks swam for cover or away from the UAV which could result in inaccurate counts. Ducks appear aware of UAVs during flights, but minimal behavioral shifts suggest negative fitness consequences are unlikely. |
author2 |
Weckerly, Floyd W. Ducks Unlimited, Inc College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Dakota Department of Biology, University of North Dakota Department of Biology, University of North Dakota North Dakota Department of Commerce |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ryckman, Mason D. Kemink, Kaylan Felege, Christopher J. Darby, Brian Vandeberg, Gregory S. Ellis-Felege, Susan N. |
spellingShingle |
Ryckman, Mason D. Kemink, Kaylan Felege, Christopher J. Darby, Brian Vandeberg, Gregory S. Ellis-Felege, Susan N. Behavioral responses of blue-winged teal and northern shoveler to unmanned aerial vehicle surveys |
author_facet |
Ryckman, Mason D. Kemink, Kaylan Felege, Christopher J. Darby, Brian Vandeberg, Gregory S. Ellis-Felege, Susan N. |
author_sort |
Ryckman, Mason D. |
title |
Behavioral responses of blue-winged teal and northern shoveler to unmanned aerial vehicle surveys |
title_short |
Behavioral responses of blue-winged teal and northern shoveler to unmanned aerial vehicle surveys |
title_full |
Behavioral responses of blue-winged teal and northern shoveler to unmanned aerial vehicle surveys |
title_fullStr |
Behavioral responses of blue-winged teal and northern shoveler to unmanned aerial vehicle surveys |
title_full_unstemmed |
Behavioral responses of blue-winged teal and northern shoveler to unmanned aerial vehicle surveys |
title_sort |
behavioral responses of blue-winged teal and northern shoveler to unmanned aerial vehicle surveys |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262393 https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262393 |
genre |
Northern Shoveler Shoveler |
genre_facet |
Northern Shoveler Shoveler |
op_source |
PLOS ONE volume 17, issue 1, page e0262393 ISSN 1932-6203 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262393 |
container_title |
PLOS ONE |
container_volume |
17 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
e0262393 |
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