Integration of YOLOv8 Small and MobileNet V3 Large for Efficient Bird Detection and Classification on Mobile Devices

Background: Bird species identification and classification are crucial for biodiversity research, conservation initiatives, and ecological monitoring. However, conventional identification techniques used by biologists are time-consuming and susceptible to human error. The integration of deep learning models offers a promising alternative to automate and enhance species recognition processes. Methods: This study explores the use of deep learning for bird species identification in the city of Zacatecas. Specifically, we implement YOLOv8 Small for real-time detection and MobileNet V3 for classification. The models were trained and tested on a dataset comprising five bird species: Vermilion Flycatcher, Pine Flycatcher, Mexican Chickadee, Arizona Woodpecker, and Striped Sparrow. The evaluation metrics included precision, recall, and computational efficiency. Results: The findings demonstrate that both models achieve high accuracy in species identification. YOLOv8 Small excels in real-time detection, making it suitable for dynamic monitoring scenarios, while MobileNet V3 provides a lightweight yet efficient classification solution. These results highlight the potential of artificial intelligence to enhance ornithological research by improving monitoring accuracy and reducing manual identification efforts.