2026 Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium
Location
Schindler Education Center, University of Northern Iowa
Presentation Type
Open Access Poster Presentation
Document Type
poster
Abstract
Traditional visual bird surveys performed by human surveyors include point count methods and strip transect surveys. The developing technologies of acoustic recording units are a tool for surveying bird communities by sound, reducing the hours researchers spend in the field for long-term monitoring. Passive acoustic monitoring of birds in Iowa has proven to be a valuable method of detecting species of conservation concern as well as general species richness (Dixon et al 2023; McGovern et al 2024). There is continued debate on the performance of human surveyors compared to the quickly advancing technologies for sound identification (Goodman et al 2025).
Irvine Prairie is a restored tallgrass prairie covering nearly 300 acres in Benton County, Iowa. The University of Northern Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairie Center has restored 8 to 35 acres of farmland to tallgrass prairie each year since 2018. The resulting prairie provides substantial, high-quality habitat for diverse bird species. Irvine Prairie has several restoration goals to monitor progress, including observation of Ammodramus savannarum (Grasshopper Sparrow) and Centronyx henslowii (Henslow's Sparrow) during breeding bird surveys, as they are considered indicator species for tallgrass prairies (Elliott & Johnson 2018). Our study aims to assess the usefulness of passive acoustic monitoring in detecting birds compared to traditional visual surveys along strip transects. We address the following research questions:
- Do the passive acoustic monitors detect more bird species than the field surveys?
- What is the relationship between number of birds in a plot and rate of detection in acoustic surveys?
- Is Irvine Prairie achieving its stated restoration goals for bird habitat?
Start Date
31-7-2026 11:00 AM
End Date
31-7-2026 1:30 PM
Event Host
Summer Undergraduate Research Program, University of Northern Iowa
Faculty Advisor
Mark Myers
Department
Department of Biology
Copyright
©2026 Claire Newton, Sykora Smith, Myah Sierens, and Mark Myers
File Format
application/pdf
File Size
6.28 MB
Recommended Citation
Newton, Claire; Smith, Sykora; Sierens, Myah; and Myers, Mark, "Comparison of Passive Acoustic Monitoring and Visual Surveys on Birds at Irvine Prairie" (2026). Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium. 6.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/surp/2026/all/6
Comparison of Passive Acoustic Monitoring and Visual Surveys on Birds at Irvine Prairie
Schindler Education Center, University of Northern Iowa
Traditional visual bird surveys performed by human surveyors include point count methods and strip transect surveys. The developing technologies of acoustic recording units are a tool for surveying bird communities by sound, reducing the hours researchers spend in the field for long-term monitoring. Passive acoustic monitoring of birds in Iowa has proven to be a valuable method of detecting species of conservation concern as well as general species richness (Dixon et al 2023; McGovern et al 2024). There is continued debate on the performance of human surveyors compared to the quickly advancing technologies for sound identification (Goodman et al 2025).
Irvine Prairie is a restored tallgrass prairie covering nearly 300 acres in Benton County, Iowa. The University of Northern Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairie Center has restored 8 to 35 acres of farmland to tallgrass prairie each year since 2018. The resulting prairie provides substantial, high-quality habitat for diverse bird species. Irvine Prairie has several restoration goals to monitor progress, including observation of Ammodramus savannarum (Grasshopper Sparrow) and Centronyx henslowii (Henslow's Sparrow) during breeding bird surveys, as they are considered indicator species for tallgrass prairies (Elliott & Johnson 2018). Our study aims to assess the usefulness of passive acoustic monitoring in detecting birds compared to traditional visual surveys along strip transects. We address the following research questions:
- Do the passive acoustic monitors detect more bird species than the field surveys?
- What is the relationship between number of birds in a plot and rate of detection in acoustic surveys?
- Is Irvine Prairie achieving its stated restoration goals for bird habitat?
