Methodology for Estimating the Abundance of Rare Animals: Seabird Nesting on North East Herald Cay

• Published in: Biometrics Vol. 56; no. 1; pp. 22 - 30
• Main Authors: Welsh, A. H., Cunningham, R. B., Chambers, R. L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-03-2000; International Biometric Society
• Subjects: Animal nesting; Animals; Binomials; Birds; Censuses; Ecology; Finite population parameter; Heteroscedastic regression model; Keys; Linear Models; Marine Biology - statistics & numerical data; Model-based estimation; Modeling; Models, Statistical; Negative binomial model; Population Density; Population estimates; Population mean; Population parameters; Queensland; Regression analysis; Standard error; Transform-both-sides model; Weighting; Zero inflation; Queensland; ISEW, Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, Herald Cay
• ISSN: 0006-341X; 1541-0420
• DOI: 10.1111/j.0006-341X.2000.00022.x

We discuss the problem of estimating the number of nests of different species of seabirds on North East Herald Cay based on the data from a 1996 survey of quadrats along transects and data from similar past surveys. We consider three approaches based on different plausible models, namely a conditional negative binomial model that allows for additional zeros in the data, a weighting approach (based on a heteroscedastic regression model), and a transform-both-sides regression approach. We find that the conditional negative binomial approach and a linear regression approach work well but that the transform-both-sides approach should not be used. We apply the conditional negative binomial and linear regression approaches with poststratification based on data quality and availability to estimate the number of frigatebird nests on North East Herald Cay.