DOI: 10.5061/dryad.1jwstqk41
title: Data from: Differential use of nest materials and niche space among avian species within a single ecological community

description: Differential use of resources among bird species has been examined
 extensively in diet and nesting sites, but few studies have assessed this
 regarding avian nest materials. We assessed the structure and composition
 of nests in a group of coexisting passerine shrubland birds at a site in
 Massachusetts, USA. We found, measured, collected, and dissected nests,
 and then weighed nest materials in morphological groups (e.g., bark,
 twigs, feathers), to determine if our seven focal species were using
 different nest materials. Among species, we compared proportional material
 masses in complete nests, and also separately in the exterior, structural
 part of the nest and the interior, cup lining. We found that the
 proportional masses of all 17 material types that we examined in nests
 differed among species. The compositions of nests among all seven bird
 species were distinct in multivariate ordination space and only a few
 pairs of species had substantial niche overlap. Proportional masses of
 materials within discrete sections (exterior and interior) also varied
 among species. Although some differences in nest composition could be
 partially explained by bird species size, nest materials differed even
 within the three larger-bodied species and within four smaller-bodied
 species. Our study builds upon previous studies that have shown
 species-specificity in avian nest composition, and supports the notion
 that birds using the same environment have distinct niches in relation to
 the materials placed in their nests. Niche partitioning due to
 interspecific competition could partially explain our findings, as certain
 materials are limited as resources and searching for suitable nest
 materials is energetically costly. Additionally, other factors, such as
 phylogenetic relatedness and partitioned nest sites, may have led to
 differential nest material use. We recommend further research to help
 elucidate underlying mechanisms of nest composition partitioning in birds
 and potentially other nest-building taxa.
description: Please see the publication for methods on how the dataset was
 collected and processed.
description: # Data from: Differential Use of Nest Materials and Niche Space among
 Avian Species within a Single Ecological Community
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1jwstqk41](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1jwstqk41) Dataset contents include data on nest materials, nest dimensions, and grasses and sedges identified to genus, in each nest examined in the study. ## Description of the data and file structure **Nest Materials:** Species: Species of birds that built nests. Four-letter abbreviations are used instead of full species names. AMRO is American robin, CHSP is chipping sparrow, CSWA is chestnut-sided warbler, EATO is Eastern towhee, FISP is field sparrow, and GRCA is gray catbird. Name: Unique name given to each nest. SumMaterials: Sum of ExtMaterialsTotal and IntMaterialsTotal. Msrd.Exterior.Nest.Total.Weight: Measured weight in grams of exterior portion of nest once separated from interior. ExtGrass: Weight in grams of grass and sedge in exterior of nest. ExtFineStems: Weight in grams of fine stems (&lt; 2 mm, not woody or grass) in exterior of nest. ExtShreddedCoarseStems: Weight in grams of shredded coarse herbaceous stems in exterior of nest. ExtIntactCoarseStems: Weight in grams of intact coarse (&gt; 2 mm) herbaceous stems in exterior of nest. ExtPineNeedles: Weight in grams of conifer needles in exterior of nest. ExtRootlets: Weight in grams of rootlets in exterior of nest. ExtHair: Weight in grams of hair in exterior of nest. ExtLeaves: Weight in grams of leaves in exterior of nest. ExtSticks: Weight in grams of sticks in exterior of nest. ExtPlantDown: Weight in grams of downy or fluffy plant fibers in exterior of nest. ExtBark: Weight in grams of bark in exterior of nest. ExtMud: Weight in grams of mud in exterior of nest. ExtFeathers: Weight in grams of feathers in exterior of nest. ExtAnthropogenic: Weight in grams of anthropogenic materials in exterior of nest. ExtSilk: Weight in grams of invertebrate silk in exterior of nest. ExtMoss: Weight in grams of moss (including moss sporophytes) in exterior of nest. ExtDustMisc: Weight in grams of miscellaneous materials and dust in exterior of nest. ExtFlowerHeads: Weight in grams of flower heads in exterior of nest. ExtMaterialsTotal: Sum of all measured materials in exterior of nest. Not necessarily exactly identical to Msrd.Exterior.Nest.Total.Weight. Msrd.Interior.Nest.Total.Weight: Measured weight in grams of interior portion of nest once separated from exterior. IntGrass: Weight in grams of grass and sedge in interior of nest. IntFineStems: Weight in grams of fine stems (&lt; 2 mm, not woody or grass) in interior of nest. IntShreddedCoarseStems: Weight in grams of shredded coarse herbaceous stems in interior of nest. IntIntactCoarseStems: Weight in grams of intact coarse (&gt; 2 mm) herbaceous stems in interior of nest. IntPineNeedles: Weight in grams of conifer needles in interior of nest. IntRootlets: Weight in grams of rootlets in interior of nest. IntHair: Weight in grams of hair in interior of nest. IntLeaves: Weight in grams of leaves in interior of nest. IntSticks: Weight in grams of sticks in interior of nest. IntPlantDown: Weight in grams of downy or fluffy plant fibers in interior of nest. IntBark: Weight in grams of bark in interior of nest. IntMud: Weight in grams of mud in interior of nest. IntFeathers: Weight in grams of feathers in interior of nest. IntAnthropogenic: Weight in grams of anthropogenic materials in interior of nest. IntSilk: Weight in grams of invertebrate silk in interior of nest. IntMoss: Weight in grams of moss (including moss sporophytes) in interior of nest. IntFlowers: Weight in grams of flower heads in interior of nest. IntDustMisc: Weight in grams of miscellaneous materials and dust in interior of nest. IntMaterialsTotal: Sum of all measured materials in interior of nest. Not necessarily identical to Msrd.Interior.Nest.Total.Weight. SumGrasses: Sum of ExtGrass and IntGrass. SumFineStems: Sum of ExtFineStems and IntFineStems. SumSSCoarseStems: Sum of ExtShreddedCoarseStems and IntShreddedCoarseStems. SumMud: Sum of ExtMud and IntMud. SumNeedles: Sum of ExtPineNeedles and IntPineNeedles. SumRootlets: Sum of ExtRootlets and IntRootlets. SumHair: Sum of ExtHair and IntHair. SumLeaves: Sum of ExtLeaves and IntLeaves. SumSticks: Sum of ExtSticks and IntSticks. SumPlantDown: Sum of ExtPlantDown and IntPlantDown. SumBark: Sum of ExtBark and IntBark. SumFeathers: Sum of ExtFeathers and IntFeathers. SumAnthropogenic: Sum of ExtAnthropogenic and IntAnthropogenic. SumSilkandEggs: Sum of ExtSilk and IntSilk. SumMoss: Sum of ExtMoss and IntMoss. SumICoarseStems: Sum of ExtIntactCoarseStems and IntIntactCoarseStems. SumFlowers: Sum of ExtFlowers and IntFlowers. SumDist.Msc.: Sum of ExtDustMisc and IntDustMisc. **Nest Dimensions:** Species: Species of bird that built nest. Four letter abbreviations used instead of full species name. AMRO is American robin, CHSP is chipping sparrow, CSWA is chestnut-sided warbler, EATO is Eastern towhee, FISP is field sparrow, and GRCA is gray catbird. Name: Unique name given to each nest. Plot: Plot that the nest was found in. Nest Success: Final status of nest. Why Failed?: Details on why nest failed. Nest Found: Date on which nest was located. \# of Eggs: Number of eggs observed or estimated in the nest \# unhatched: Number of eggs which failed to hatch. \# nestlings: Number of nestlings observed in the nest. \# fledglings: Number of nestlings that fledged. \# Cowbird eggs: Number of cowbird eggs in each nest. \# Cowbird nestlings: Number of cowbird nestlings in each nest. \# Cowbird fledglings: Number of cowbird nestlings that fledged from each nest. Notes: Detailed notes from nest checks. date Veg done: Date nest height and vegetation at nest was surveyed. Placement: Where nest was located. Combo is multiple, separate stems, fork is a fork in the vegetation Nest Hght: Height of nest above ground in centimeters. Measured from the ground to the bottom of the nest Veg Species: Plant species nest located in. Veg Height: Total height of plant that the nest was found in. In centimeters. Date Nest Measured: Date dimensions of nest measured. Recorder of Nest measurements: Initials of individual measuring dimensions of nest. NS Nest Diameter: Diameter of nest in N-S direction in millimeters. NS Cup Diameter: Diameter of nest cup in N-S direction in millimeters. N Wall Thickness: Thickness of north nest wall in millimeters. S Wall Thickness: Thickness of south nest wall in millimeters. EW Nest Diameter: Diameter of nest in E-W direction in millimeters. EW Cup Diameter: Diameter of nest cup in E-W direction in millimeters. E Wall Thickness: Thickness of east nest wall in millimeters. W Wall Thickness: Thickness of west nest wall in millimeters. Nest Height (of nest): Height of nest in millimeters. Cup Depth: Depth of nest cup in millimeters. Floor Thickness: Thickness of floor of nest cup. Nest Taken?: If the nest was taken for potential dissection. Msrd Nest Weight: Measured weight of nest in grams. Grasses and Sedges Nest Name: Name of nest. PlantGenus: Genus of identified material. Species: Species of bird that built nest. Four letter abbreviations used instead of full species name. AMRO is American robin, CHSP is chipping sparrow, CSWA is chestnut-sided warbler, EATO is Eastern towhee, FISP is field sparrow, and GRCA is gray catbird. MassperGenus: Mass of plant genus for given nest. SumGrassesandSedges: Total mass of grasses and sedges for nest. GenusProp: MassperGenus / SumGrassesandSedges. Note any cells with an NA value, we did not collect data for that given nest, for that given variable/column. ## Sharing/Access information Data was derived from our own field and lab work collecting and dissecting bird nests in Montague, MA, USA. If you are planning to use this data in your own research, such as for comparisons of nest materials with other bird species, we would appreciate if you would contact the lead author (M. Akresh) first. We would appreciate collaboration and co-authorship (at least with the lead author) on any further research using this data. ## Code/Software Code provided is for data summaries and analyses in R.