What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to evaluate how animal responses to aircraft movement influence count accuracy in aerial surveys.

Accounting for animal movement during aerial imaging surveys

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This analysis evaluates count bias and animal movement in aerial imaging of migratory birds, suggesting better abundance estimates.

The aim is to evaluate how animal responses to aircraft movement influence count accuracy in aerial surveys.
Analyzed drone imagery of migratory birds in conservation areas.
Compared counts and positions of animals in overlapping image pairs.
Calculated movement vectors relative to drone heading.
Applied circular statistics to identify directional bias.
Ducks, geese, and cranes exhibited different levels of count bias.
Rotary-wing drones caused more directional movement than fixed-wing drones.
Aggregate counts of cranes and geese decreased by approximately 9.9% and 9.5%, respectively.
Ducks showed a slight increase in counts of 2.5%, suggesting they were moved by the drone.

Converse et al. (2026) studied this question.

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