Data on phenotype-dependent dispersal in pied flycatchers between 1988 and 2016

Abstract

Between 1988 and 2016, we investigated the effects of breeding density and body size on natal dispersal propensity in a pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) population breeding in nest-boxes in two different habitats in central Spain (41°04'N, 3°27'W − 40°40'N, 4°80'W). Body size was measured as tarsus length. Breeding density was estimated as the annual number of nest-boxes occupied by pied flycatchers relative to the total area of each forest patch. Dispersal rates between habitats were also calculated by dividing the number of recruits that moved from their natal to the alternative habitat patch by the total number of recruits that returned to the study area each year. In addition, we calculated the annual rates of immigration to each habitat, expressed as the number of unbanded birds relative to the total number of birds in a given year.