Acoustic monitoring of avifauna in the Bukovynian Carpathians during spring: effectiveness assessment in anthropogenically transformed mountain ecosystems

Today, technologies exist that allow for the efficient monitoring of large areas from both economic and practical perspectives. Our study is the first to investigate the species diversity of birds in the anthropogenically transformed ecosystems of the Bukovynian Carpathians by using the Song Meter Micro acoustic receiver from the American company, Wildlife Acoustics. The material analyzed in the study consists of audio files (n=843) with a total duration of 204 minutes, recorded in April 2023 at 14 locations in the anthropogenically transformed ecosystems of the Bukovynian Carpathians, Ukraine. The data were analyzed using two approaches: the BirdNET application, which operates based on machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence, and the Raven Pro software. In the second approach, the resulting sonograms were compared with the reference database of xeno-canto. The similarity of the avifauna species composition at different monitoring points was determined using binary similarity indices such as Jaccard and Sørensen–Czekanowski, as well as the Stugren–Radulescu coefficient. The highest similarity was observed between two sites within the area of a national park (Jaccard = 0.43). In contrast, the lowest similarity was recorded between these sites and a remote site outside the national park (Jaccard = 0.13). The species richness of birds at different locations was analyzed and compared using the Menhinick index. As a result of the study, 58 bird species were identified, 10 of which were recorded for the first time in the research region. These findings highlight the rich avian biodiversity of the study area and emphasize the importance of continued monitoring.