Abstract:

Aims: Urban green spaces are critical habitats for maintaining biodiversity in cities. As indicators of urban biodiversity, birds have attracted significant attention in urban ecology research due to their biodiversity patterns and conservation. Passive acoustic monitoring has emerged as an important tool in bird diversity studies. This study aims to explore the effectiveness between passive acoustic monitoring and traditional transect survey for bird monitoring in urban park green space.

Methods: From July 2023 to April 2024, acoustic monitoring equipment and line transect surveys were utilized to monitor bird diversity in Chunshen Park in Minhang District within Shanghai’s outer-loop forest belt. One set of acoustic devices was deployed in each of the three habitat types, collecting animal sound data for the first 15 minutes of every hour, 24 hours a day. The data were processed using unsupervised syllable clustering analysis. An in-depth comparison and analysis of the monitoring results and line transect surveys were conducted to assess the effectiveness of both monitoring methods.

Results: The acoustic devices recorded 49 species from 11 orders and 28 families, while the transect surveys recorded 32 species from 5 orders and 19 families, both predominantly including species from the Passeriformes. A total of 24 common species were recorded by the two methods, with consistent characteristics in residency type, predominantly featuring resident birds. Acoustic devices recorded more dominant species compared to transect surveys, with the common dominant species recorded by the two methods being Pycnonotus sinensis, Spilopelia chinensis, Turdus mandarinusand Cyanopica cyanus. Across different habitats, both methods consistently identified the highest species richness in mixed forest wetlands, while the levels were similar in pure forest wetlands and mixed forests. Generally, spring and autumn exhibited higher species richness and abundance across habitat types, though significant seasonal variations were observed in community metrics such as dominance, diversity, and evenness indices between the two monitoring methods.

Conclusion: Intelligent bird monitoring based on passive acoustic techniques provides a new technical path for urban biodiversity conservation research, which can be combined with traditional survey techniques and methods to improve the accuracy and comprehensiveness of monitoring data.

Key words: passive acoustic, urban park green space, birds, monitoring, diversity