Title
Identification of imperial cormorant Phalacrocorax atriceps behaviour using accelerometers
Author(s)
Laich, A. G.;Wilson, R. P.;Quintana, F.;Shepard, E. L. C.
Published
2010
Publisher
Endangered Species Research
Abstract
Animal behaviour is largely defined in terms of movement or lack of it, so precise quantification of animal movement is a potentially powerful way of identifying several animal behaviours. Animal-attached tags that record acceleration lend themselves particularly to this. In this work we show how tri-axial acceleration can be used to identify some of the behaviours of imperial cormorants Phalacrocorax atriceps. Based on the assessment of tri-axial acceleration signals, the following behaviours were identified in free-living birds: standing, sitting, floating on water, flying, walking and diving. During diving, the descent, bottom and ascent phases could be distinguished. We considered the factors which coded for the different behaviours and this allowed us to design a key that will allow researchers assessing tri-axial accelerometry data to identify some of the behaviours that imperial cormorants perform. © Inter-Research 2008.
Keywords
Acceleration datalogger;Behaviour;Imperial cormorant;Phalacrocorax atriceps;Remote monitoring

Access Full Text

A full-text copy of this article may be available. Please email the WCS Library to request.



Back

PUB14157