Ecological Comparison of Sholopax minor in the United States Through Time

Morgan L. Dial*, West Virginia University Institute of Technology, Beckley, WV 25801

Field (Broad Category): Biology (Oral-Science & Technology) 

Student’s Major: Biology 

Documentation of bird species have been important over the years to study their evolution, ecology, and behavior. These documentations were mostly from physical sightings by researchers or just bird-lovers alone. Technology is continuing to grow and help in different aspects around the globe, including the documentation of specific species spotted. Launched in 2008, iNaturalist is now a well-known community website that documents species around the world by ordinary people and scientists using photographs. This website pinpoints the location of the sightings as well as other relevant details. American Woodcocks, Scholopax minor, were scored using iNaturalist’s data through R Studio to compare where they were located at certain times of the year. The data was then compared to another source, eBird, where more American woodcocks were documented. This offers a new way to explore and study different species of plants and animals for scientific study and provides a new opportunity for the community to come together and help. This comparison demonstrates a new form of communication to test and study animal ecology. 

Funding: 

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU 497-level course