Estimating the distribution and abundance of the black-capped vireo in Texas

Authors: T. M. McFarland, H. A. Mathewson, M. L. Morrison, R. T. Snelgrove, J. E. Groce, K. Skow, B. A. Collier, R. N. Wilkins

We present here the largest and most comprehensive study of the black-capped vireo (Vireo atricapilla) in Texas using an appropriate study design. The goals of our research were to (1) gather data to determine the distribution of black-capped vireos throughout their range in Texas, (2) evaluate topographic, climatic, and vegetative factors driving the distribution of vireos, (3) determine how vireos distribute themselves locally and whether they are clustering on the landscape, (4) determine what habitat characteristics describe local population abundance, (5) use those data to develop a distribution model that estimates probability of vireo occurrence based on landscape and vegetative characteristics and (6) validate this distribution model using an independent dataset. From this research, we have developed a decision-support tool that allows a user to quickly determine the occupancy probability of an area based on several user-defined metrics, providing a user-friendly interface to our predictive occupancy models.

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