DOI: 10.5061/dryad.c59zw3rk6
title: Data from: Sitting in the open: How nest microclimate influences incubation behavior in an open-cup nesting passerine

description: Incubating passerines modulate their behavior in response to local
 conditions and changing energetic demands, and nest microclimate can
 significantly influence female incubation behavior. We tested how ambient
 temperature affects incubation behavior, and how incubation behavior in
 turn influences in-nest temperature for an open-cup nesting passerine, the
 hooded warbler (Setophaga citrina). We also examined how covariates of
 brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism, clutch size, year, and
 females’ experience influence female management of incubation behavior and
 in-nest temperatures. We used iButtons to measure nest microclimate and
 in-nest temperatures for incubating hooded warblers in southern Ohio, USA,
 and we used in-nest temperatures to estimate incubation behavior. Under
 warmer ambient conditions, females incubated for longer periods of time,
 with fewer (but longer) off-bouts, resulting in a higher proportion of
 time spent incubating. These data suggested that females under cooler
 circumstances leave the nest more to forage for themselves; while warmer
 conditions allowed females to stay on the nest longer for each on-bout,
 and for a greater proportion of the day. However, increasing variability
 of ambient temperatures caused females to take more off-bouts and
 on-bouts. Incubation behaviors directly influenced the realized in-nest
 temperatures: longer on-bouts and more incubation time overall generated
 higher and more stable in-nest temperatures. In contrast, longer off-bouts
 resulted in lower mean in-nest temperatures and less stable nest
 temperatures resulting in lower hatching success. Our results linked the
 flexibility of incubation behavior in response to nest microclimate
 variation to in-nest temperatures and hatching success for an open-cup
 nesting species, contributing to a better understanding of how climate
 influence critical maternal behaviors.
description: # Sitting in the open: How nest microclimate influences incubation
 behavior in an open-cup nesting passerine
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c59zw3rk6](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.c59zw3rk6) ## Description of the data and file structure We monitored Hooded Warbler nests every one to three days from the second week of May through mid-July following the BBIRD proto­col (Martin et al. 1997; see Williams et al. 2020) until the nest fledged or failed. We also recorded clutch size (number of hooded warbler eggs), and the number of eggs hatched, and we counted the number of brown-headed cowbird eggs in each nest.   During incubation, we used Thermocron iButtons (model DS1921G-F5, Embedded Data Systems, accuracy ± 1ºC) to record in-nest and ambient temperature (i.e., one aspect of nest microclimate) every four minutes until the nest fledged or failed. Ambient temperature was recorded below each nest by securing an iButton to a wooden skewer approximately 20 cm above the ground, and in-nest temperatures were recorded by an iButton that was flush with the bottom of the nest as described in Williams et al. (2020, 2023). We downloaded nest microclimate and in-nest temperatures from the iButtons below (ambient temperature) or in each nest (in-nest temperature) respectively, and we included the daily minimum, mean, and maximum temperatures and the coefficient of variation (CV) in temperature (see Williams et al. 2023). R code for processing raw iButton data are available on request. We used the package *incR* (Capilla-Laheras 2018) to estimate incubation on and off-bouts from nest microclimate and in-nest temperature data collected by iButtons. Variables are also listed on meta data sheet of xls file and are included here: | Nest.ID | Nest  | | :----------------- | :-------------------------------------------- | | J.day | Julian Day | | Year | Year | | T.mean | Mean Temperature (degree C) | | T.min | Min Temp C | | T.max | Max Temp C | | T.n | Number of readings | | T.sd | SD in temp | | CV | Coefficient of variation | | Type | temperature reading nest or ambient | | DateFound.s | date nest found | | expos | Exposure days | | survive | Nest success | | status | succes fledge or fail | | cause.Fail | how failed if known | | clutch | number of eggs | | egg.hatch | number of eggs hatched | | fledged | number of hooded warbler fledged | | bhco.egg | Number of cowbird eggs | | BHCOfledge | Number of cowbird fledged | | Perc.hatch | percent eggs hatch | | Perc.fledge | percent fledged | | fem.ID | band ID | | F.Age | Female Age | | elevation | elevation in meters | | slope | slope   | | aspect | aspect  | | tpi25\_6cat | mapping or classification based on terrain. | | tpi50\_6cat | mapping or classification based on terrain. | | number.on.bouts | number.on.bouts | | number.off.bouts | number.off.bouts | | mean.time.on.bout | mean.time.on.bout | | mean.time.off.bout | mean.time.off.bout | | perc.in | percent time in nest | | first.off | time of first off bout | | last.on | time of last on bout | | obs.time | time observed per day | | prop.day | proportion of time observed per day | | prop.day.r | proportion of time observed per day (rounded) | ## Code/software The data are uploaded as a csv file and can be accessed in excel, R or other spreadsheet viewer. ## Access information Other publicly accessible locations of the data: * NA Data was derived from the following sources: * NA