A talk by Matt Geary from Chester University.
In order to study animals and their conservation in the wild, it is important that we are able to detect them.
As Matt pointed out, some animals are easier to detect than others based upon their size, colour and sometimes even behaviour.
Understanding the best way to detect a particular species will allow you to carry out the study in the best way in order for you to get the best results.
Matt and his team were studying two different parrot species in the Dominican Republic, they were Hispaniolan parakeet (Psittacara chloropterus) and Hispaniolan amazon (Amazona ventralis).
It is well known that parrot species are probably the most threatened orders of birds, with around 30% of them being endangered.
The main factors which contribute to their loss in numbers are habitat destruction, the illegal wildlife trade, and invasive species.
The two species are very similar physically, with the main different being that Hispaniolian parakeet is of a smaller size.
Not much was known about the Hispaniolan parakeet, as they weren’t spotted frequently, and its habitat wasn’t known.
The study undertaken by Matt and his team was to try and understand the habitats of the Hispaniolan parakeet in order to effectively conserve the species and put some management into place to protect them.
Matt and his team only found the presence of Hispaniolan parakeets in the urban areas within the city and away from the agricultural areas, which was surprising.
They found populations in old buildings and building sites but didn’t find any breeding sites, so it asked the question as to how these species were able to sustain their populations within the city, as they weren’t found anywhere else.
Parrots are very vulnerable and subjected to many threats, it is therefore important to full understand them in order to conserve them, something which Matts study aimed to do for the Hispaniolan parakeet species.
To understand whether certain conditions or physical attributes contribute the the Hispaniolan parakeets success of urban living, he looked at other bird species which are also found in urban areas.
From his results, only one bird species was of a larger size which may indicate that a small size could be contributing to urban living.
To try and determine whether characteristics, such as size were contributing to urban living, Matt conducted some statistical analysis but found no relationship between any characteristics and adaptability.
As Matt indicated, there are still many questions to be answered about the species and how it is able to sustain its numbers in that habitat.
The study indicates how important it is to understand the habitat and the ecology of a species in order for you to conserve it.
Although I don’t want a career in conservation, it is interesting how statistical analyses have been used to try and answer the questions in this study.
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