Vol. 76 (3) 2024

ARTICLES

Avian Diversity Monitoring in Mountain Beech Forests using Acoustic Indices: a Case Study in the Belasitsa Nature Park, Bulgaria

Kristina R. Panova*, Tzvetan M. Zlatanov & Boris P. Nikolov

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*Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Gagarin Street, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria; E-mails: panova.krisstina@gmail.com, tmzlatanov@gmail.com, lanius.bg@gmail.com

https://doi.org/10.71424/azb76.3.002756

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Abstract
Acoustic methods are widely used to study bird communities. They are particularly helpful in remote and hard reachable regions. In this study, we evaluated four acoustic indices (Acoustic Complexity Index, Acoustic Diversity Index, Acoustic Evenness Index and Bioacoustic Index) for biodiversity assessment in mountain beech (Fagus sylvatica) forests inside Belasitsa Nature Park, Bulgaria. We used twelve autonomous recording units and deployed four each in three forest types: old-growth forests in Kongura Reserve, mature managed forests (80–130 years of age) and premature managed forests (50–60 years of age). First, we verified that there were correlations between the acoustic indices and bird species richness detected by manual spectrogram scanning and listening of series of 3-min sound samples. Then, we compared the values of acoustic indices among the three forest types, finding higher bird species richness and abundance in old-growth forests and mature managed forests. We found no significant difference in the bird species composition in the three beech forest types, but more hole-nesting birds and species of conservation concern were identified in the old forests. We demonstrated that acoustic indices could be used for avian diversity monitoring and conservation management in mountain beech forests.

Key words
Autonomous sound recorders, Belasitsa, Bird species richness, Ecoacoustics, Passive acoustic monitoring

How to Cite
Panova K.R., Zlatanov T.M. & Nikolov B.R. 2024. Avian Diversity Monitoring in Mountain Beech Forests using Acoustic Indices: a Case Study in the Belasitsa Nature Park, Bulgaria. Acta zoologica bulgarica 76 (3) 323-331.

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