Project Title
Creating and testing a methodological framework for the detection of the critically endangered Jerdon’s courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus) using Automated Recording Units
Project Grantee
Chiti Arvind (MRes. Ecology and Conservation, Imperial College London, United Kingdom; Project Student – IISER Tirupati
Q & A with the Grantee
1) How will Automated Recording Units (ARUs) help to create a more robust framework for the detection of the critically endangered Jerdon’s Courser?
Bioacoustic monitoring using ARUs has several advantages over traditional monitoring methods. They are non-invasive and can be deployed across large landscapes, ensuring the long-term monitoring of a target species. Data once recorded can be stored and revisited at any point of time. For a cryptic and nocturnal bird like the Jerdon’s Courser, a first of its kind specific ARU detection framework like ours would be the best initial step to scan the landscape for the presence of this bird.
2) Attempting to detect a bird as rare as the Jerdon’s Courser, which was last recorded in 2008, must have been incredibly challenging. Can you narrate an experience from the field that stands out?
Not much is known about the life history traits of the Jerdon’s Courser. In this project we relied on the bird’s vocalisation, and based on P. Jeganathan’s studies we know that it calls between dusk and dawn. Hence, we programmed recorders to record throughout the night around the area where it was last heard twelve years ago. A large amount of effort was put into sifting through large volumes of acoustic data to detect our target species’ call. On one occasion, we recorded an unusual vocalisation in our recorder and reported it to the local Forest Department. But the word got out and the local press in its premature excitement misquoted us stating that we found a recording of the Jerdon’s Courser! This does indicate that there is considerable local enthusiasm for the conservation of this species.
3) What are the present-day challenges this critically endangered species faces and what does the future look like for the Jerdon’s Courser?
The Jerdon’s Courser faces threats from anthropogenic activities which have resulted in habitat loss. Being a highly endemic species, it is of utmost importance to preserve the scrubland type habitat preferred by this critically endangered species. With the support of organisations like the Wildlife Conservation Trust, studies such as ours provide long term monitoring solutions for elusive species like the Jerdon’s Courser. Bioacoustic studies are becoming a popular tool to monitor biodiversity for conservation purposes, and methodology driven studies like ours provide vital baseline information for future research in the search for this bird.
Images courtesy: Chiti Arvind