Mocking Bird ( Mimus polyglottos ) calls potentially confound acoustic indices of bird diversity and provide a potential heuristic to distinguish them

TL;DR

Northern Mockingbirds' mimicry can confuse bird diversity surveys using audio recordings, affecting accuracy.

Contribution

The study identifies Northern Mockingbirds as a source of false positives in automated bird identification systems.

Findings

Mockingbirds contributed ~31% of false positive identifications using Merlin Bird ID.

The average accuracy rate of Merlin Bird ID was ~81.3%.

Vocal mimicry by Northern Mockingbirds may confound acoustic indices of bird diversity.

Abstract

This study explores the increasing use of autonomous recording units (ARUs) in wildlife surveys. While ARUs offer cost-effective and efficient data collection, challenges arise in analyzing large datasets and accurately assessing species abundance. Our research focuses on avian communities, emphasizing the impact of vocal mimicry by Northern Mockingbirds (
Mimus polyglottos
) on survey accuracy. Utilizing the Merlin Bird ID application, we found an average accuracy rate of ~81.3%, with mockingbirds contributing ~31% of false positive identifications. Finding potential solutions for distinguishing mimics in bioacoustic survey data is crucial for enhancing accuracy as researchers increasingly adopt this methodology in the future.

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