ABSOLUTE ABUNDANCE: The total number of organisms in an area. Usually reported as absolute density: the number of organisms per unit area or volume.
ACCURACY: A measure of how close a measurement is to the true value.
BIODIVERSITY: Jargon for biological diversity: the variety of life forms, the ecological roles they perform, and the genetic diversity they contain (Wilcox 1984 cited in Murphy 1988).
BIOGEOCLIMATIC ZONE: An ecosystem classification based on differences in vegetation, soil, and climate.
BLUE LIST: Includes any indigenous species or subspecies (taxa) considered to be Vulnerable in British Columbia. Vulnerable taxa are of special concern because of characteristics that make them particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events. Blue-listed taxa are at risk, but are not extirpated, endangered or threatened.
BREEDING CHRONOLOGY: Seasonal timing of nest-building, egg-laying, hatching, and fledging.
CRYPTIC: Naturally camouflaged by plumage colour or pattern.
ECOPROVINCE: Geographic region with broad similarities in climate and topography.
EMERGENT VEGETATION: Aquatic vegetation that grows above the surface of the water.
HERONRIES: Nesting colonies of Great Blue Herons.
HF RADIO: High frequency radio often carried for emergency communications.
OLDFIELD: An overgrown, unmowed, ungrazed field or pasture with tall grasses, herbs, and some shrubs.
ORGANOCHLORINES: Chlorine-based chemical such as DDT, DDE that have toxic effects.
PLANIMETER: A drafting tool that measures area from maps.
POPULATION: A group of organisms of the same species occupying a particular space at a particular time.
PRECISION: A measurement of how close repeated measures are to one another.
PRESENCE/NOT DETECTED (POSSIBLE): A survey intensity that verifies that a species is present in an area or states that it was not detected (thus not likely to be in the area, but still a possibility).
PROJECT AREA: An area, usually politically or economically determined, for which an inventory project is initiated. A project boundary may be shared by multiple types of resource and/or species inventory. Sampling generally takes place within smaller study areas within this project area.
RANDOM ERRORS: Errors based on natural variability in nature.
RANDOM SAMPLE: A sample that has been selected by a random process, generally by reference to a table of random numbers.
RED LIST: Includes any indigenous species or subspecies (taxa) considered to be Extirpated, Endangered, or Threatened in British Columbia. Extirpated taxa no longer exist in the wild in British Columbia, but do occur elsewhere. Endangered taxa are facing imminent extirpation or extinction. Threatened taxa are likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed. Red-listed taxa include those that have been, or are being, evaluated for these designations.
RELATIVE ABUNDANCE: The number of organisms at one location or time relative to the number of organisms at another location or time. Generally reported as an index of abundance.
STAGING AREAS: Sites used by migrant birds before major migratory movements.
STRATIFICATION: The separation of a sample population into non-overlapping groups based on a habitat or population characteristic that can be divided into multiple levels. Groups are homogeneous within, but distinct from, other strata.
STUDY AREA: A discrete area within a project boundary in which sampling actually takes place. Study areas should be delineated to logically group samples together, generally based on habitat or population stratification and/or logistical concerns.
SURVEY: The application of one RIC method to one taxanomic group for one season.
SYSTEMATIC SAMPLE: a sample obtained by randomly selecting a point to start, and then repeating sampling at a set distance or time thereafter.
SYSTEMIC ERROR: Errors based on built-in biases of methods or assumptions.
TRANSECT: A survey technique where observers count all birds observed within a predetermined radius of a "line" travelled by the observer.
UTM: Universal transverse mercator coordinates.
WETLAND: A freshwater marsh, slough, pond, or lake.
YELLOW-LISTED SPECIES: Any native species which is not red- or blue-listed.