DOI: 10.5061/dryad.0sd30
title: Data from: Colour-variable birds have broader ranges, wider niches and are less likely to be threatened

description: Coloration fulfils a variety of adaptive functions in animals. Colour
 variability, both between and within species, can be caused by different
 colours being favoured for different functions and in different
 environments. Thus, species with highly variable coloration may have
 greater potential to persist in new and changing environments. As a
 consequence such colour variable species may be more able to adapt,
 colonize new areas and niches, occupy larger ranges, speciate more readily
 and in general be less vulnerable to environmental change and extinction.
 These predictions have been supported by comparative analyses on
 amphibians and reptiles. However, since coloration in ectotherms plays a
 key role in thermoregulation, it is unclear whether these results can be
 generalised to endotherms, such as birds and mammals. Here we test the
 hypothesis that more colour variable endotherms occupy larger
 ranges/niches and are less vulnerable to the threat of extinction by
 focusing on colour variation in Australian parrots and passerine birds. As
 predicted, colour variability was correlated with range size (parrots and
 passerines) and niche breadth (dietary heterogeneity, parrots only). These
 relationships support the predicted link between colour variability and
 adaptability, whereby range size and niche breadth may be a cause of
 colour variability or vice versa. Irrespective, and as predicted, colour
 variability was lower in threatened species, even after statistically
 controlling for other confounding variables. Hence our study supports the
 hypothesis that colour variable species in general are more resilient to
 environmental change.
description: Passerines: Colour
 variability and associated variablesVariable names (see
 Methods for more details) Data collated from the Handbook of Australian,
 New Zealand and Antarctic Birds vols. 5-7 animal: species code used in the
 phylogeny av.col.var: average colour variability (sexes pooled) m.col.var:
 average colour variability (males) f.col.var: average colour variability
 (females) polymorphic: considered polymorphic in Galeotti et al. (2003)
 sex.dich: sexual dichromatism score move.score: mobility score range:
 number of occupied 1’ cells in The New Atlas of Australian Birds habitats:
 habitat heterogeneity score threat: threat status, 1=endangered, 0=not
 endangered diet.het: dietary heterogeneityAppendixS1.csvParrots and Cockatoos: Colour variability and associated variablesVariable names (see Methods for more details) Data collated from the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds animal: species code used in the phylogeny av.col.var: average colour variability (sexes pooled) m.col.var: average colour variability (males) f.col.var: average colour variability (females) polymorphic: considered polymorphic in Galeotti et al. (2003) sex.dich: sexual dichromatism score move.score: mobility score range: number of occupied 1’ cells in The New Atlas of Australian Birds habitats: habitat heterogeneity score threat: threat status, 1=endangered, 0=not endangered diet.het: dietary heterogeneityAppendixS2.csv