Continuous Focal Animal Sampling
White-naped Crane
You are conducting a basic study of activity budgets in several species of cranes. In
this video clip you will observe the behavior of a white-naped crane using the
continuous focal animal sampling method. Below you will find the ethogram of
behaviors to be recorded in this exercise. You will also find a sample data sheet for
you to use to collect data on the crane. Take a few minutes to become familiar with
the ethogram and data sheet. The clip will be shown three times. During the first
showing, simply watch the clip with the ethogram of behaviors and their definitions in
mind. Record data from the video clip during the second showing. Recording the
start and stop time of each behavior every time it occurs can be labor intensive when
using paper and pencil. In this exercise, simply the record the start time of every
behavior every time you see it; you can go back after the exercise and fill in the stop
times so that you can calculate the duration of each of the behaviors. The third time
the clip plays, you will see what data should have been collected during the
observation session, and you can check your data against these.
Ethogram of White-naped Crane Behaviors
Behavior Definition
Alert/Head Up (AH) Crane is stationary or walking; head is elevated well
above body level; crane is visually scanning
surroundings rather than the water.
Feed/Forage (FF) Crane is stationary or walking; actively searching for food
using bill to dig in the pool or eating food, head is at or
below body level; crane is visually scanning the water.
Scratch/Preen (SC) Crane uses its feet to scratch its body or uses its bill to
manipulate its skin or feathers.
Run/Fly (RF) Crane runs around its enclosure or takes flight; quickly
changes its location.
Not Visible (NV) Crane goes out of view completely or partially preventing
behavior from being observed.
Other (OT) Any other behavior not previously described. Include a
description of any “other” behaviors you observe on the
data sheet.
All Occurrences Sampling
Père David’s Deer
You are conducting a study of the factors affecting biting fly harassment of Père
David’s deer. In this video clip you will observe the tail flicking behavior of a male
deer using the all occurrences sampling method. Below you will find the ethogram of
behaviors to be recorded in this exercise. You will also find a sample data sheet for
you to use to collect data on the deer. Take a few minutes to become familiar with
the ethogram and data sheet. The clip will be shown three times. During the first
showing, simply watch the clip with the ethogram of behaviors and their definitions in
mind. Record data from the video clip during the second showing. In this exercise,
simply keep a tally of the behavior described on the ethogram. The third time the clip
plays, you will see what data should have been collected during the observation
session, and you can check your data against these.
Ethogram
Behavior Definition
Tail Flick (TF) Deer moves its tail from side to side. Each movement is
considered a separate tail flick.
Scan Sampling – Focal Animal
Coyote
You are studying the activity budgets of wild coyotes in Montana. In this exercise you
will conduct focal animal scan sampling on an individual coyote. Below you will find
the ethogram of behaviors to be recorded in this exercise. You will also find a sample
data sheet for you to use to collect data on the coyote. Take a few minutes to
become familiar with the ethogram and data sheet. The clip will be shown three
times. During the first showing, simply watch the clip with the ethogram of behaviors
and their definitions in mind. Record data from the video clip during the second
showing. Enter a check under the behavior observed at the end of each scan interval.
Be sure to check only one behavior per scanning interval. The third time the clip
plays, you will see what data should have been collected during the observation
session, and you can check your data against these.
Ethogram of Coyote Behavior
Behavior Definition
Feeding (FE) Coyote is using mouth to chew food or to process food.
Alert (AL) Coyote is stationary and standing on all four legs, head is
upright, eyes open.
Locomotion (LO) Coyote is walking or running across the terrain; using all
four legs to move its body.
Face rub (FR) Coyote lowers its head to the ground or ground
vegetation and rubs the side of its face and neck along
the ground; this may transition into a full body rub while
lying on the ground wherein the coyote may or may not
roll over.
Body shake (BS) Coyote is standing on all four limbs and shakes its entire
body, often starting with head and shoulders.
Not Visible (NV) Coyote goes out of view completely or partially
preventing behavior from being observed completely.
Other (OT) Any other behavior not previously described. Include a
description of any “other” behaviors you observe on the
data sheet.
Scan Sampling-Group
Père David’s Deer
In this exercise, you are studying how a herd of Père David’s Deer uses the small
stream in their exhibit by recording their location throughout the day group scan
sampling. Below you will find the ethogram of behaviors to be recorded in this
exercise. You will also find a sample data sheet for you to use to collect data on the
deer. Take a few minutes to become familiar with the ethogram and data sheet. The
clip will be shown three times. During the first showing, simply watch the clip with
the ethogram of behaviors and their definitions in mind. Record data from the video
clip during the second showing. As each deer comes into view during the scan, record
whether it is “on land”, “in water”, or “not visible”. Your total number of checks for
each scan should sum to 13 because there are 13 deer in this herd. The third time
the clip plays, you will see what data should have been collected during the
observation session, and you can check your data against these.
Ethogram
Behavior Definition
On Land (OL) Deer is standing with all four hooves on the land or lying
down with its body completely on land.
In Water (IW) Deer is standing with all four hooves in the water or lying
down with its body completely in the water. If any part of
the deer’s body or if any of its hooves are in the water, it
should be scored as “In Water”.
Not Visible (NV) Deer was not observed during the scan or it was
impossible to determine whether it was “On Land” or “In
Water”
One-Zero Sampling
Tiger
In this exercise you are studying the behavior of tigers in winter using one-zero
sampling to study behavioral states and events. Below you will find the ethogram of
behaviors to be recorded in this exercise. You will also find a sample data sheet for
you to use to collect data on the tiger. Take a few minutes to become familiar with
the ethogram and data sheet. The clip will be shown three times. During the first
showing, simply watch the clip with the ethogram of behaviors and their definitions in
mind. Record data from the video clip during the second showing. Remember in one-
zero sampling you enter a 1 for the behavior if you observed it at all during that
scanning interval and a zero if you did not observe the behavior during that interval. It
is easiest to enter 1’s as the behaviors are observed rather than waiting for the end
of the interval. Zeroes can be entered at the end of each interval, or if the animal is
active, they can be entered at the end of the observation session. The third time the
clip plays, you will see what data should have been collected during the observation
session, and you can check your data against these.
Ethogram of Tiger Behaviors
Behavior Definition
Alert (AL) Tiger is stationary, lying down, sitting or standing. Head
is elevated, eyes are open.
Walk (WK) Tiger is moving around using all four limbs. Includes
walking, running, and climbing.
Sniff (SN) Tiger is sniffing objects or the ground. Head is lowered
to the object or substrate, mouth is usually closed,
flaring of the nostrils may be observed.
Lick (LK) Tiger’s mouth is open, tongue is moving across objects
or the substrate, may be done repetitively. Also includes
the tiger licking itself.
Rest (RS) Tiger is lying down on its side or stomach, head is
lowered to the ground, eyes may be open or closed.
Minor body movements (e.g. tail movements and rolling
over) are still considered resting.
Not Visible (NV) Tiger goes out of view completely or partially preventing
behavior from being observed.
Other (OT) Any other behavior not previously described. Include a
description of any “other” behaviors you observe on the
data sheet.
Other Useful References on Behavioral Research Methods
Bart J., Fligner M.A. & Notz W.I. 1999. Sampling and Statistical Methods for
Behavioral Ecologists. Cambridge University Press.
Dawkins M.S. 2007. Observing Animal Behaviour: design and analysis of
quantitative data. Oxford University Press.
Lehner P. 1998. Handbook of Ethological Methods, 2nd edition. Cambridge
University Press.
Martin P. & Bateson P. 2007. Measuring Behaviour, 3rd edition. Cambridge
University Press.
Paterson J.D. 2001. Primate Behavior: an exercise workbook, 2nd edition. Waveland
Press.
Continuous Focal Animal Sampling Data Sheet
White-naped Crane
Record the start time of each behavior on the ethogram every time it occurs.
Make each new entry on a separate line.
Date: Observer:
Subject: White-naped Crane
Start time of each behavior: Behavior Code:
Quick Behavior Code Reference:
Alert/Head Up AH Run/Fly RF
Feed/Forage FF Not Visible NV
Scratch/Preen SC Other OT
All Occurrences Sampling Data Sheet
Père David's Deer
In the box provided, keep a tally of the behavior described on the ethogram.
Date: Observer:
Subject: Male Père David's Deer
Total # of occurrences:
One-Zero Sampling Data Sheet
Tiger
Enter a 1 in the box for each behavior you observe; enter a zero if you did
not observe the behavior. Remember, in one-zero sampling, more than one
behavior can be observed in each scanning interval.
Date: Observer: Subject: Tiger
Scan AL WK SN LK RS NV OT
1
Totals
Add up the number of 1's in each column and then divide the total by 8.
This gives you the average number of intervals in which a behavior was
observed, which is an estimate of the time spent performing each behavior.
Scan Sampling - Group Data Sheet
Père David's Deer
For each deer you see during the scan, place a check in the appropriate
column to indicate whether it is in the water or on land. Your checks for
each scan should sum to 13.
Date: Observer:
Subject: Père David's Deer
Scan # of Deer on Land # of Deer in Water Not Visible
Totals
In this study you aren't tracking the behavior of individual deer. Rather, you
are tracking the behavior of the group as a whole. So these data won't tell
you how much time the deer spend in the stream, but they will tell you what
percentage of the herd uses the stream on average. Divide your totals by 13
to get your mean values for the number of deer using the land and the water
during your observation session.
Focal Animal Scan Sampling Data Sheet
Coyote
Place a check in the column under the behavior observed at each
scanning interval.
Date: Observer:
Subject: Coyote
Scan FE AL LO FR BS NV OT Notes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Totals
Take each of your totals and divide by 13 to get the proportion of time
spent in each behavior. Then you will have the coyote activity budget for
your observation session.