Heron and Egret Occurrence Data from Australia 2000-2023

This dataset summarizes heron and egret occurrence from Birdlife Australia and eBird field observation protocols from 2000 to June 2023. It contains unique, complete checklists recording species presence or absence, with overall empirical prevalence reported. The data is aggregated into a model-ready format by randomly sampling observations per cell per month based on prevalence.

Use Cases

• Train a penalised logistic regression model using presence/absence data to predict species occurrence across the Great Dividing Range.
• Analyze the empirical prevalence ('prev.') of target species to identify spatial and temporal patterns in Ardeid host presence.
• Develop temporally dynamic geospatial models to assess JEV transmission risk by correlating host habitat predictions with mosquito surveillance records.
• Compare detection rates ('present') from different observation protocols (Birdlife Australia vs. eBird) to evaluate data source consistency for arbovirus surveillance systems.

Strengths

• Data spans over 23 years, from 2000 to June 2023, providing a long-term temporal series.
• Aggregates data from two established sources: Birdlife Australia and eBird.
• Derived into a model-ready format with a single presence/absence observation sampled per cell per month.

Limitations

• The dataset is very small at 5.5 KB, indicating limited scope and likely a highly aggregated summary rather than raw observations.
• Specific details like row count, column names, and sample data are unavailable, limiting transparency and direct analytical utility.
• Geographic coverage is implied to be Australia but specific extents or spatial resolution are not detailed.

Provenance

Source

Birdlife Australia (BA) and eBird (eB).

Collection Method

Selected field observation protocols, aggregated into unique, complete checklists recording species detection or absence.

Time Range

2000 to June 2023.

Freshness

Data covers up to June 2023 and was last updated on the platform in March 2026.

Geography

Australia, with specific mention of the Great Dividing Range.