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Using Bioacoustics to Examine Vocal Phenology of Neotropical Migratory Birds on a Wild and Scenic River in Arizona

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Using Bioacoustics to Examine Vocal Phenology of Neotropical Migratory Birds on a Wild and Scenic River in Arizona Article Using Bioacoustics to Examine Vocal Phenology of Neotropical Migratory Birds on a Wild and Scenic River in Arizona Heather L. Bateman 1,* , Sidney B. Riddle 1,2 and Erin S. Cubley 3 1 College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ 85212, USA; [email protected] 2 Arizona Game and Fish Department, Mesa, AZ 85207, USA 3 Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Simple Summary: Rivers can support forests of trees that mostly rely on water provided by the river. This area between the land and river is called riparian. In arid regions, that do not receive much rainfall, these riparian forests are very rare and support many unique bird species. Some songbirds migrate between North American and Central and South America and only nest in riparian forests. We used acoustic recorders which are instruments fitted with a microphone to record sound. We measured how many days during the summer four migratory birds were detected by their vocalizations in the riparian forest. We found that using acoustic recorders can be an effective way to document bird vocalization over time and in remote areas. Forests along rivers need water and are important to support a diversity of migratory birds. Abstract: Passive acoustic recorders have been used successfully as automated survey tools to detect Citation: Bateman, H.L.; Riddle, S.B.; terrestrial wildlife. However, few studies have monitored Neotropical migratory bird use of riparian Cubley, E.S. Using Bioacoustics to forest habitat using this technology. Within dryland ecosystems, the forests along rivers support high Examine Vocal Phenology of bird diversity. Many bird species of conservation concern require these floodplain forest habitats for Neotropical Migratory Birds on a foraging, migration stop-overs, and breeding. Few studies have explored the use of acoustic records Wild and Scenic River in Arizona. in riverine systems designated for conservation for their natural resource value via the Wild and Birds 2021, 2, 261–274. https:// Scenic Rivers Act in the USA. Using acoustic recorders, we document vocal activity of four riparian- doi.org/10.3390/birds2030019 obligate species (Bell’s Vireo, Vireo bellii; Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra; Yellow Warbler, Setophaga petechial; and Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus) to determine species occurrence along a Academic Editor: Jukka Jokimäki Wild and Scenic River. We established three study reaches along the perennial Lower Verde River, in the Sonoran Desert of central Arizona, USA. Nine acoustic recorders were used over the period Received: 2 July 2021 of 80–120 days during the summer of 2018. We measured vegetation composition and structure in Accepted: 29 July 2021 2 Published: 2 August 2021 100 m plots paired with acoustic recorders. Visualizing vocal activity showed that three species were calling and singing at each reach; whereas, one species, the cuckoo, had fewer recordings and Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral occurred later in the summer. We demonstrate the utility of acoustic monitoring even when applied with regard to jurisdictional claims in to rare birds in complex riparian habitats. This information is important for land management and published maps and institutional affil- conservation efforts concerning these species of interest and identifying important habitat features in iations. Southwestern US riparian woodlands. Keywords: acoustic monitoring; bioacoustics; ecoacoustics; Neotropical migrants; protected areas; riparian-obligate birds; Wild and Scenic Rivers Act Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and 1. Introduction conditions of the Creative Commons Monitoring biodiversity is paramount to documenting the conservation value of Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// ecosystems. Biodiversity can be measured using active field techniques, such as counting creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ or capturing organisms [1], or via passive methods, such as camera trapping or remote 4.0/). Birds 2021, 2, 261–274. https://doi.org/10.3390/birds2030019 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/birds Birds 2021, 2 262 sensing [2]. Monitoring temporal and spatial patterns in bird species abundance and distribution are often based on active methods, such as bird point-counts, where similar sampling effort is applied at different locations or times. Active methods include the need for a human observer, who may incorrectly identify bird species and potentially miss detecting birds when present [3]. Passive acoustic sensors have been deployed to quantify presence, abundance, and richness for a variety of animal taxa, including insects, amphibians, birds, and mammals [4–6]. Bioacoustics offer a path for automated data collection in remote areas and can reduce field costs over the duration of a project [7,8]. Because of these practical advantages, bioacoustic monitoring techniques for vocal taxa, such as birds, have grown more popular in recent years [9,10]. Although bioacoustics have been used for a variety of research objectives, few studies have evaluated its use in monitoring bird species of conservation concern in temperate riparian forests (but see [11] from European forests). Rivers support riparian ecosystems that are highly complex and productive habi- tats and among the most threatened systems globally [12,13]. Free-flowing rivers are threatened by reduced flows from human water demand coupled with drying climate conditions [14,15]. The National Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the US Congress in 1968 to conserve free-flowing rivers for their natural and cultural values [16]. These rivers can support wooded floodplains and provide unique microclimate and habitat conditions for many plant and animal species [17,18]. Aridland rivers and their floodplain forests support some of the most productive bird habitats in North America [19]. Over 50% of land bird species use riparian forests at some point in their lifecycle, and river corridors are used for foraging and breeding by Neotropical migrants [20,21]. Riparian ecosystems in the southwestern United States (hereafter, Southwest) are rare and imperiled, occupying less than 2% of total land area [22,23]. In the Southwest, both Neotropical migratory birds and their riparian habitats are of conservation concern [24,25]. Few rivers in North America have been designated as a Wild and Scenic River, but among these is the Verde River in central Arizona. The Verde River was designated, in part, to protect Neotropical migratory songbirds tied to riparian vegetation [26]. Despite its conservation importance, no published studies have used bioacoustics to relate riparian-obligate bird species to forest traits along a Wild and Scenic River. Based on previous literature, it is clear there is a connection between habitat alteration and changes in bird populations and communities [27]. Neotropical migrant and resident birds using riparian areas for nesting (riparian-obligate species) have declined in abundance. For example, Summer Tanagers (Piranga rubra; tanager) were once common breeders along the lower Colorado River [28,29] but their numbers and distribution started declining in the 1970s as a result of habitat loss [30]. The western population of the Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus; cuckoo) has been listed as threated under the Endangered Species Act [31]. This Neotropical migratory bird breeds in areas with multi-layered riparian trees [32] and needs patches of habitat with trees of different heights and ages, which are often produced from episodic floods [33]. In the absence of flooding, native riparian forests have matured without replacing tree recruitment, further degrading habitat for the cuckoo [34]. The tanager and cuckoo are just two examples of birds experiencing declines from loss of habitat. North America has lost nearly 30% of bird populations over the past several decades [35]. Riparian birds are indicators of ecosystem health and integrity [36]. The phenology of breeding in Neotropical birds (nesting and rearing young) is well documented in the Southwest [32], with migrants arriving during spring (March–April) and some later in summer (May–June). Some species could have peak calling activity early in the season or later, and other species might be detected as they migrate through habitat patches. However, some species, such as the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, are not as well studied because they are difficult to detect due to their rarity or absence in some parts of their range. For the long-term persistence of these species, documenting where and when species of conservation concern use habitat is important for managing forests faced with multiple uses, such as public lands [37]. Birds 2021, 2 263 We focused this study on four riparian obligate birds that are designated as species of conservation concern by state and federal agencies. Our primary goal was to show how passive acoustic recorders could be used to assess vocal seasonality of select bird species and the ability of recorders to detect uncommon species of conservation concern along the Verde River, a Wild and Scenic River. A secondary goal was to consider a subset of the acoustic recordings to derive a bioacoustics index to determine the suitability of computing the variability in the avian soundscape as a way to monitor
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