A comparison of low-cost behavioral observation software applications and recommendations for use

TL;DR

This paper reviews six low-cost behavioral observation software applications for handheld devices, comparing their features, advantages, and disadvantages to guide researchers in selecting the most suitable tool for their animal behavior studies.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive comparison of six low-cost behavioral observation apps, offering practical recommendations for researchers to choose appropriate software based on study needs.

Findings

BORIS is flexible and open-source.

CyberTracker is user-friendly for field data collection.

ZooMonitor offers detailed data visualization.

Abstract

In the field of animal behavior and behavioral ecology, many standardized methods to observe animal behavior were established in the last decades. While the protocols remained similar, behavioral researchers can take advantage of technological advancements to enter observations directly onto a handheld computer (phone, tablet, etc.), saving time and potentially increasing fidelity of recordings. However, we now have the choice between many different platforms for recording behavioral observations. Our challenge is choosing the most appropriate platform that fits a particular study question, research design, budget, and desired amount of preparatory time. Here, we review six low-cost software applications for handheld computers that are available for real-time entry of behavioral observations: Animal Behaviour Pro, Animal Observer, BORIS, CyberTracker, Prim8, and ZooMonitor. We discuss the preliminary decisions that have to be made about the study design, and we assess the six applications by providing the advantages and disadvantages of each platform and an overall application comparison. Our goal is to help researchers make calculated decisions about what behavioral observation platform is best for their study system and question.