The observation of birds as informative tools to develop citizen science: Contributions of a 10-year record in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico

Abstract

This article analyses historical data from observations made to birds in breeding, throughout two routes with urban characteristics and during a consecutive period of 10 years (2009-2018), following a precise methodology designed by the North American Breeding Bird Survey. The analyzed routes are officially registered in the Mexican Commission for Biodiversitys Knowledge and Use, the United States Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, and the Canadian Wildlife Service Research Centre. The observations were made by citizens without formal professional education; hence the results may be considered within the framework of citizen science. Their contributions provided important data for decision-making regarding environmental issues, since the presence of birds is considered one of the main indicators on health conditions of an ecosystem. Data analysis identified two basic conditions: (i) a reduction of the 23% in the number of species found, as many of them disappeared during counting; and (ii) the significant increase in population of other species, three of pigeons among them. Apart from the study of bird behavior in the routes with urban characteristics, the article acknowledges the lack of connection and use of the information produced from monitoring for decision-making and education regarding environmental issues. Therefore, we consider crucial to create scientific observatories, both available to experts in the field and to the general population, as the ultimate purpose would be the production of citizen science.