Eavesdropping on wetland birds

Wetlands support approximately 40 per cent of the world’s biodiversity and play a critical role in human health and the health of our planet, including in climate change mitigation. But we must understand them if we’re going to protect them.

The challenge

To protect our valuable wetlands, we need to better understand them. Lucky, wetland birds are sensitive indicators of the area’s health, though there’s a small catch – they’re also notoriously secretive in their behaviour!

Birds like rails, crakes, snipes and bitterns can give us insights to wetland vitality, but we need to learn more about their distribution, population status and ecology.

That’s where the eavesdropping comes in.

Project name Eavesdropping on wetland birds (2020 - 2027)

Funding Private Philanthropic Gift, CSU Foundation Trust, $610,000

Project website

Our response

The foundation of this research is a collaboration between ecology and computer science.

This project is a part of a new era in environmental monitoring. Technology is increasingly informing conservation management via automated data collection, algorithms to streamline classification and decision-supporting tools that can balance the needs of different stakeholders.

It’s non-invasive, efficient and cost-effective therefore minimising disturbance to habitat and species. We are using acoustic monitoring technology and remote motion-sensor cameras are being used to extend time and location data collection in order to detect wetland bird species and monitor their diversity. The timing and frequency of the noises the birds make vary seasonally and can also be used to detect breeding events.

Technology is increasingly informing conservation management via automated data collection, algorithms to streamline classification and decision-supporting tools. So, to help eavesdrop on wetland birds, specialised computer scientist Dr Michael Towsey has come on board to automate the analysis of acoustic recordings.

The goal

The research objectives are:

  • to better understand the distribution of little-known wetland bird species in south-eastern Australia
  • to trial large-scale deployment of acoustic sensors with manual data collection
  • to improve artificial training datasets
  • to determine the presence or absence of bird species

This project is a new era in environmental monitoring. It’s non-invasive, efficient and cost-effective, and our communities can be part of the journey. Acoustic monitoring technology is being used to extend time and location data collection in order to detect wetland bird species and monitor their diversity. The timing and frequency of the noises the birds make varies seasonally and can also be used to detect breeding events.

Monitoring has already begun in a selection of wetlands in south-eastern mainland Australia and Tasmania, including managed and unmanaged wetlands of varying scale.

Our team

Principal scientist

portrait of Dr Elizabeth Znidersic
Dr Elizabeth Znidersic
View full profile

Our research team

portrait of Professor David Watson
Professor David Watson
Ecologist
View full profile
portrait of Dr Michael Towsey
Dr Michael Towsey
Bioacoustics Researcher
View full profile

Key research publications

  • Znidersic, E., & Towsey, M. (2022). Australasian Bittern and Australian Little Bittern presence and breeding surveys in Barmah-Millewa Forest 2022-23: Annual Triangulationsurevys and acoustic monitoring. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
  • Znidersic, E., & Watson, D. (2022). Acoustic restoration: Using soundscapes to benchmark and fast-track recovery of ecological communities. Ecology Letters, 25(7), 1597-1603. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14015
  • Znidersic, E., & Towsey, M. (2022). The Living Murray-Intervention Monitoring: Australasian Bittern and Australian Little Bittern presence and breeding surveys, 2021-22: Intervention monitoring in Barmah-Millewa Forest 2021. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
  • Znidersic, E., Towsey, M. W., Hand, C., & Watson, D. M. (2021). Eastern black rail detection using semi-automated analysis of long-duration acoustic recordings. Avian Conservation and Ecology, 16(1), 1-10. [9]. https://doi.org/10.5751/ACE-01773-160109
  • Znidersic, E. (2021). Fantastically elusive birds and how to find them. Cosmos Magazine.
  • Znidersic, E., Towsey, M., Roy, W. K., Darling, S. E., Truskinger, A., Roe, P., & Watson, D. M. (2020). Using visualization and machine learning methods to monitor low detectability species—The least bittern as a case study. Ecological Informatics, 55, 1-9. [101014]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2019.101014

Connect and collaborate

We are looking for researchers, students, funding and partners to help take our research to the next level.

Get in touch