Can social media serve as a potential citizen science source for bird-window collision (BWC) data? A study using a decadal data set in Taiwan

Abstract

AbstractCitizen science is increasingly used in bird-window collision (BWC) research to collect data. However, few studies have collected BWC data from social media, and it remains unknown whether the data quality is comparable to that of reported on dedicated platforms. To evaluate the potential of social media as a citizen science data source for BWC, we collected BWC data on social media Facebook as well as Taiwan Roadkill Observation Network (TaiRON), the main dedicated citizen science platform for reporting wildlife mortalities in Taiwan. We compared a decade of BWC data (2012–2022) from the two platforms by examining the nationwide geographical coverage and the species compositions of the BWC observations. Overall, we recorded 2,583 BWC cases involving 153 BWC species from Facebook, and 1,000 BWC cases involving 104 BWC species from TaiRON. More than half of the BWC individuals from Facebook were not found dead when observed, whereas all records on TaiRON were dead individuals. The nationwide geographical coverage and the species compositions of the top 80% cumulative BWC individuals were generally similar between the two platforms. Moreover, the sampling completeness of the two platforms both exceeded 95% (Facebook: 98.0%; TaiRON: 96.0%). To our knowledge, this study is among the first to collect BWC data through social media posts, and our results show that the quantity and quality of Facebook data can be comparable to that of the well-developed citizen science platform TaiRON. Taken together, social media Facebook may not only serve as a promising tool for collecting BWC data, but also provide a platform for public education, which can benefit bird conservation. Finally, integrating data from different citizen science sources helps paint a more complete picture of BWC patterns, especially in understudied areas such as Asia.