Webcams as an untapped opportunity to conduct citizen science: Six years of the American Kestrel Partnership's KestrelCam

Abstract

Hundreds of zoo-based or wildlife webcams have become available during the past twenty years, mostly with the goal of educating the public. However, there has been virtually no peer-reviewed research that evaluates the education, conservation, or scientific impact of webcams. Here, we provide one of the few examples of a webcam used for citizen science, and the only test of efficacy for crowd-sourced data collection using webcams. The Peregrine Fund streamed six seasons of American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) nests using the same nest box from 2012 through 2017 and viewers input observations into an online portal. We analyze trends in participant and kestrel behavior and test for sources of bias in this citizen scientist-generated dataset by independently reviewing a subset of recordings to determine accuracy of viewer-logged data. Citizen scientists logged a maximum of approximately 5.25% of all footage, but with an accuracy of 88%. Although number of participants declined yearly, on average, participants became more engaged. Sources of bias were related to people's daily activity periods (i.e., less participation at night) and activity within the nest box (i.e., less participation when there were no birds in the box). This citizen scientist-generated dataset generally corroborated the literature regarding American Kestrel biology. Researchers may be cautiously optimistic that datasets generated by citizen scientists can provide valuable information on a given system or study species. Given the ubiquity of webcams and their potential competition for conservation dollars, more research evaluating any aspect of their impact or application is sorely needed. Keywords: Webcam, Nest cam, Wildlife, Citizen science, American Kestrel, Falco sparverius