Accuracy and efficiency of different techniques for censusing territorial Middle Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos medius

The aim of the study was to test whether the methods using the playback technique produce accurate data of population size when compared to the standard mapping and nest-searching methods. The three-visit method with audio-stimulation was found to produce data of the same accuracy (100%, n = 11 territories) as the standard mapping method, but the nest-searching method and single-visit with audio-stimulation yielded slightly lower estimates, 91% and 82% respectively, in comparison to the previously mentioned methods. However, the three-visit method with audio-stimulation was 2.2 times less time consuming than the five visits which used the standard mapping method (9h vs 20h). The three-visit method with audio stimulation could be appropriate for assessing distribution and abundance, and also for monitoring purposes.