Northern bobwhite density estimation: applications of novel methods and analyses

Population monitoring is a valuable facet of managing sustainable Northern Bobwhite populations. I built upon current survey methodologies by incorporating novel technology and analyses to bolster Northern Bobwhite monitoring capabilities. I field-tested a commercially- available acoustic recording device to record play-back bobwhite covey calls. I detected 47.5% of projected covey calls from 0-400 m with the furthest detection being 241 m. I evaluated an automated recognition software which only successfully detected 31.5% of manually-identified covey calls. Additionally, I applied spatial capture-recapture density estimation methods to bobwhite conservation. I estimated densities with and without supplemental telemetry data and produced relative standard errors of 13.8% and 13.4%, respectively. Top combined capture history models produced density estimates of 0.25 birds/ha (95% CL = 0.18, 0.36) across the study site. These results lay the foundation for further expansion of Northern Bobwhite population monitoring procedures through passive acoustics and intensive spatial capture- recapture trapping.