DOI: 10.5061/dryad.jr48p
title: Data from: To graze or gorge: consistency and flexibility of individual foraging tactics in tits

description: An individual's foraging behaviour and time allocated to feeding have
 direct consequences for its fitness. Despite much research on
 population-level foraging decisions, few studies have investigated
 individual differences in fine-scale daily foraging patterns among wild
 animals. Here, we explore the consistency and plasticity of feeding
 tactics of individual great tits (Parus major) and blue tits (Cyanistes
 caeruleus), using a grid of 65 automated feeding stations in a 385-ha
 woodland, during three winters. We use a principal component analysis to
 describe individual variation in six feeding parameters and examine how
 these differences covary with dominance-linked attributes (species, age
 and sex), the personality trait ‘exploration behaviour’, distance to
 territory and local competition intensity. Analysis of 933 086 feeder
 visits by 3134 individuals revealed that the majority of variation in the
 timing of feeding was explained by two principal components. PC1
 (‘binge-eating’), accounting for 38% of variation, captured temporal
 clustering of feeding, with high repeatability both within and between
 years (r range: 0·42–0·55). PC2 (‘transience’), accounting for 27% of
 variance, described how much individuals used feeders and was also
 repeatable (r: 0·34–0·62). While exhibiting consistent individual
 differences, birds also showed flexibility in foraging patterns,
 binge-eating less and using feeders more when they experienced greater
 local competition. Individuals in behaviourally dominant states (great
 tits, males and adults) binged more than subordinate birds (blue tits,
 females and juveniles) when their territories were distant from feeding
 stations. Moreover, great tits and males used feeders more than blue tits
 and females respectively, while birds feeding further from their territory
 used feeders less than those feeding closer. ‘Exploration behaviour’ was
 unrelated to both measures of daily foraging behaviour. This study
 presents some of the first evidence that birds use consistent alternative
 foraging tactics at a fine temporal scale. Individuals are consistent in
 their tactics, and also adjust their foraging behaviour with changes in
 local competition. Hence, studies of foraging behaviour should consider
 the extent to which such individual-level variability in foraging
 behaviour is under selection.
description: raw logger
 recordsRaw data recorded at 65
 automated feeding stations across Wytham Woods. Data loggers recorded up
 to three records per second. Ring column contains a unique ID for each
 individual bird.individual attributes
 and parameters for PCAOne row per individual
 per date, with individual attributes and PCA parameters. Ring column
 contains a unique ID for each individual bird. dist_to_terr contains the
 distance in metres between the feeding station and the nest box used by
 the bird in the subsequent spring breeding season. visits_by_others
 contains the number of visits by other tagged individuals (great tits and
 blue tits) at the same site on the same date. The final six columns are
 the parameters used in the principal component analysis (PCA). Bout
 lengths and bout intervals are in seconds.parameter file for
 PCA.csv