DOI: 10.5061/dryad.9w0vt4bpc
title: Data from: Seed preference is only weakly linked to seed-type-specific feeding performance in a songbird

description: The dehusking of seeds by granivorous songbirds is a complex process that
 requires fast, coordinated and sensory-feedback-controlled movements of
 beak and tongue. Hence, efficient seed handling requires a high degree of
 sensorimotoric skill and behavioural flexibility, since seeds vary
 considerably in size, shape and husk structure. To deal with this
 variability, individuals might specialise on specific seed types, which
 could result in greater seed handling efficiency of the preferred seed
 type, but lower efficiency for other seed types. To test this, we assessed
 seed preferences of canaries (Serinus canaria) through food choice
 experiments and related these to data of feeding performance, seed
 handling skills and beak kinematics during feeding on small,
 spindle-shaped canary seeds and larger, spheroid-shaped hemp seeds. We
 found great variety in seed preferences among individuals: some had no
 clear preference, while others almost exclusively fed on hemp seeds, or
 even prioritized novel seed types (millet seed). Surprisingly, we only
 observed few and weak effects of seed preference on feeding efficiency.
 This suggests that either the ability to handle seeds efficiently can be
 readily applied across various seed types, or alternatively, it may
 indicate that achieving high levels of seed-specific handling skills does
 not require extensive practice.
description: Food choice experiments were conducted where
 individual birds fed on a tray consisting of 9 different seed types for 10
 minutes. These experiments were recorded with a Sony
 RX1000M4 camera, and videos were manually analysed to count which seeds
 the individuals selected. Data on seed choice was
 used to calculate Manly's Selectivity Index of 2 seed types (hemp and
 white millet) and Levin's niche breadth index.
 These metrics were then related to data on feeding performance,
 seed handling skills and beak kinematics during feeding on canary seed and
 hemp seed. This data was taken from Andries et al. (2023).
description: # Seed preference is only weakly linked to seed-type-specific feeding
 performance in a songbird 
 This dataset contains all the necessary data for reproducing the results
 of the research, as described in the manuscript with the name: 'Seed
 preference is only weakly linked to seed-type-specific feeding performance
 in a songbird'. The data includes seed preference data obtained from
 manual video analysis and data on feeding performance, skills and beak
 kinematics obtained from Andries et al. (2023). ## Description of the data
 and file structure This dataset includes 2 .csv files with measurement
 data and a .zip file named 'analysis' which contains an R-file
 with the code for statistical analysis and associated .txt files (see
 below; code/software). General terminology (this is a list of terms that
 is used across most of the files): * bird: identification number of the
 individual * sex: sex of the individual (M = male, F = female) *
 birth_year: Year of birth of the individual * age_group: Indicates whether
 the individual is an adult (adult) or juvenile (young) * weight: Body mass
 of the individual prior to the experiment (in g) * NA: no data available
 because the individual refused to feed on the respective seed type.
 foodpref_raw.csv: This file contains the count data of seeds selected by
 the individuals, extracted from the video files. Aside from the general
 terminology, this file contains 9 columns, one for each seed present in
 the food choice experiment, with the raw counts and a second set of 9
 columns with Manly's selectivity index for each seed, indicated as
 'seed_name'% (which is in our experimental setup equivalent to
 the proportion of seeds selected in relation to all seeds selected).
 foodpref_summary.csv: This file contains the seed preference variables of
 interest and the metrics on feeding performance, feeding skills and beak
 kinematics (taken from Anonymous 2023) during feeding on canary seed and
 hemp seed. Terminology: * seed: indicates whether total_duration,
 success_rate, splitting_seed and frequency are for feeding on either
 canary seed (canseed) or hemp seed (hemp). * levins_ind: Levin's
 Niche Breath Index, calculated in R using raw count data (see
 code/software). Measure for degree of generalism, here in terms of seed
 selection (number between 0 and 1) * hemp: Manly's Selectivity Index
 for hemp seed, measure for preference of hemp seed (number between 0 and
 1) * millet: Manly's Selectivity Index for millet seed, measure for
 preference of millet seed. Includes both white and red millet (number
 between 0 and 1) * total_duration: Average duration of the entire feeding
 act (in s) * success_rate: Proportion of seed husking attempts that are
 successful (in %) * splitting_seed: Proportion of successful seed husking
 attempts where the seed is being split in two halves (in %) * frequency:
 Average opening-closing frequency of the beak (in Hz) analysis.zip:
 contains the following files used for statistical analyses: *
 food_final.R: R-file with code of the statistical analyses and graph
 generation * levins_ind.txt: Text file containing raw count data, ready to
 use in the R-script to calculate Levin's Niche Breadth Index. *
 food_alt.txt: Text file containing Manly's Selectivity Indexes in a
 different format, ready to use in the R-script to generate graphs of seed
 selection. * food.txt: Text file containing the data from
 foodpref_summary, ready to use in the R-script. ## Sharing/Access
 information Raw video data is too large to deposit, but can be accessed
 upon request by contacting the corresponding author Tim Andries
 ([tim.andries@uantwerpen.be)](mailto:tim.andries@uantwerpen.b) Data on
 feeding performance, seed handling skills and beak kinematics is taken
 from Andries et al. (2023), which can be accessed via:
 ## Code/Software All
 statistical analyses were conducted in R (version 4.2.1). This dataset
 includes an R-file with the full script for all analyses and generation of
 graphs. Additionally, .txt-files of the relevant data are included in this
 dataset, ready-to-use in the R-file. The required packages are:
 'MicroNiche' for calculating Levin's Niche Breadth Index,
 'lme4' and 'lmerTest' for linear mixed modelling and
 'ggplot2' for graph generation.