Low-cost automated call box system to conduct playback experiments for wildlife research and management

Acoustic cues (e.g., vocalizations or ‘calls’ in wildlife) may be effective in changing behavioral patterns in certain species. There are few published methods papers to create a device at a low cost that can automatically reproduce acoustic cues to carry on wildlife playback experiments or management. Therefore, we developed the Automated Call Box (ACB) based on an open-source Arduino-compatible microcontroller that attaches to a speaker system that costs less than the most common game caller used by researchers. The unit can be used to test the social information influence on habitat choices and other management applications. We field-tested the ACB successfully to assess the effect of conspecific cues on the habitat settlement of a migratory bird and to increase detectability on other songbird species. Data on this repository describes the materials used to build this system, and the code to program it, which can provide an overview as a reference for further research. This ACB allows researchers to conduct experiments on wildlife in inclement weather and complex environments, even in remote locations, with minimum or no necessity for the researcher to be present to reset the equipment.