Bicknell's Thrush Habitat Distribution Model for Quebec Using LiDAR

A species distribution model predicting the probability of occurrence for the endangered Bicknell's Thrush in Quebec. The model was calibrated with 139 high-accuracy occurrences and validated with an independent dataset of 3,928 listening points, using data collected between 2011 and 2021. It was created by the Government and Municipalities of Québec and shared via open_canada under a CC-BY-4.0 license.

Use Cases

• Identifying high-potential conservation areas based on modeled probability of species presence.
• Assessing habitat suitability for wind project planning using the high-resolution LiDAR-based model.
• Studying the relationship between forest structure (e.g., canopy height, balsam fir density) and species occurrence.
• Validating other lower-resolution habitat models for Bicknell's Thrush.

Strengths

• Model is based on high-resolution LiDAR data, which likely improves habitat characterization over previous low-resolution models.
• Calibration used 139 spatially accurate (10 m) occurrences and validation used an independent set of 3,928 points.
• Data covers a significant temporal range (2011-2021) for model training and validation.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The model's geographic scope is restricted to Quebec, limiting broader applicability.

Provenance

Source

Government and Municipalities of Québec | Gouvernement et municipalités du Québec

Collection Method

Model calibrated with field occurrences and random locations, validated with independent listening points, using LiDAR data.

Time Range

2011-2021

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-22 19:09:40.017016; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Quebec, Canada