Using a Drone to Search for the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis)
2018; Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute; Volume: 2; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.3390/drones2010011
ISSN2504-446X
Autores Tópico(s)Bat Biology and Ecology Studies
ResumoDuring the past several decades, there have been many reports of sightings of the ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis), but nobody has managed to obtain a clear photo, which is regarded as the standard form of evidence for documenting birds. A study was conducted in the Pearl River swamp in southeastern Louisiana to test the feasibility of searching for this elusive species and surveying its habitat using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone with a 4K video camera. Drone images are of much higher quality than images that were previously obtained at much greater expense during flights in a Cessna 172. The approach was found to be effective for searching for and inspecting trees that are potential foraging sites for woodpeckers and that might be suitable for nest and roost cavities. Large woodpeckers in flight are identifiable in video footage obtained from an altitude of 40 m, which was found to be sufficient to reliably avoid collisions with trees in the study area.
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