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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 22, 2026

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

Published on: March 8, 2020

Exploiting uncertain ecological fieldwork data with multi-event capture--recapture modelling: an example with bird

Meritxell Genovart¹, Roger Pradel, Daniel Oro

¹Population Ecology Group, Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), 07190 Esporles, Mallorca, Spain. m.genovart@uib.es

The Journal of Animal Ecology

|May 3, 2012

Summary

This study introduces a new capture-recapture model to handle uncertain sex data in wildlife demographics. Courtship feeding proved a reliable indicator for sexing Audouin's gulls, revealing no significant sex-based survival differences.

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Last Updated: May 22, 2026

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern

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Published on: March 8, 2020

Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients

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Published on: August 22, 2018

Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Demography

Background:

Sex is vital for evolutionary life histories, but challenging to determine in fieldwork, especially for monomorphic species.
Behavioral or morphological data for sexing individuals is often error-prone and discarded, hindering demographic analysis.
Existing methods struggle with uncertain sex data, limiting the estimation of key ecological parameters.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and apply a multi-event capture-recapture model that incorporates uncertain field observations of sex.
To analyze sex differences in demographic parameters like survival and transience in Audouin's gulls.
To assess the reliability of field-sexing criteria and observer experience over time.

Main Methods:

A multi-event capture-recapture model was developed to manage uncertain sex assignments based on field observations.
The model was applied to long-term monitoring data (1988-2007) of Audouin's gulls.
Demographic parameters, sex ratio, and the accuracy of sexing criteria were estimated.

Main Results:

No significant sex-based differences were found in survival or transience probabilities for Audouin's gulls.
Both sexes exhibited decreasing survival trends over time, with transience increasing with age and over time.
Courtship feeding was identified as a highly reliable indicator for sexing individuals, more so than copulation.

Conclusions:

The proposed multi-event capture-recapture model reliably estimates demographic parameters even with uncertain or erroneous field data.
This approach enhances ecological studies by allowing the use of imperfect observational data for sex and other covariates.
The findings suggest potential same-sex sexual behavior in Audouin's gulls and offer a framework for optimizing field ecological protocols.