Data from: Evaluating behavioral responses of nesting lesser snow geese to unmanned aircraft surveys

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are relatively new technologies gaining popularity among wildlife biologists. As with any new tool in wildlife science, operating protocols must be developed through rigorous protocol testing. Few studies have been conducted that quantify the impacts UAS may have on unhabituated individuals in the wild using standard aerial survey protocols. We evaluated impacts of unmanned surveys by measuring UAS-induced behavioral responses during the nesting phase of lesser snow geese (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) in Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada. We conducted surveys with a fixed-wing Trimble UX5 and monitored behavioral changes via discreet surveillance cameras at 25 nests. Days with UAS surveys resulted in decreased resting and increased nest maintenance, low scanning, high scanning, head-cocking and off-nest behaviors when compared to days without UAS surveys. In the group of birds flown over, head-cocking for overhead vigilance was rarely seen prior to launch or after landing (mean estimates 0.03% and 0.02%, respectively) but increased to 0.56% of the time when the aircraft was flying overhead suggesting that birds were able to detect the aircraft during flight. Neither UAS survey altitude nor launch distance alone in this study was strong predictors of nesting behaviors, although our flight altitudes (≥75 m above ground level) were much higher than previously published behavioral studies. Synthesis and applications: The diversity of UAS models makes generalizations on behavioral impacts difficult, and we caution that researchers should design UAS studies with knowledge that some minimal disturbance is likely to occur. We recommend flight designs take potential behavioral impacts into account by increasing survey altitude where data quality requirements permit. Such flight designs should consider a priori knowledge of focal species’ behavioral characteristics. Research is needed to determine whether any such disturbance is a result of visual or auditory stimuli.

无人机系统（Unmanned aircraft systems, UAS）是一类近年来在野生动物生物学家中日益普及的新兴技术。正如野生动物科学领域的任何新工具一样，其操作规程必须通过严格的规程测试来制定。目前鲜有研究采用标准航空调查规程，量化无人机系统对野外未习惯化个体可能产生的影响。本研究通过监测加拿大曼尼托巴省瓦普斯克国家公园内小雪雁（*Anser caerulescens caerulescens*）筑巢期的无人机诱导行为反应，评估了无人航空调查的影响。本研究采用固定翼Trimble UX5无人机开展调查，并通过25个巢位处的隐蔽监控摄像头记录行为变化。与未开展无人机调查的日期相比，开展无人机调查的日期中，受试雪雁的休息行为减少，而巢维护、低频次警戒扫描、高频次警戒扫描、头部倾斜警戒以及离巢行为均有所增加。在被无人机飞越的雪雁群体中，起飞前或降落后的头部倾斜警戒行为极为罕见（平均占比分别为0.03%和0.02%），但在无人机飞越期间，该行为占比升至0.56%，表明雪雁能够在无人机飞行过程中侦测到其存在。尽管本研究的飞行高度（≥75米离地高度）远高于此前已发表的行为学研究，但单独的无人机调查高度或发射距离均无法有效预测筑巢行为。综合与应用：无人机系统型号的多样性使得对其行为影响的普适性归纳颇具难度，因此我们提醒研究人员，在开展无人机相关研究时应意识到，此类调查大概率会带来一定程度的轻微干扰。我们建议，在数据质量要求允许的前提下，调查飞行应通过提升飞行高度来规避潜在的行为影响。此类飞行方案应结合目标物种的行为特征先验知识进行设计。未来仍需开展相关研究，以明确此类干扰究竟源于视觉刺激还是听觉刺激。