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Data Descriptor

Ecological and Functional Traits in 99 Bird Species over a Large-Scale Gradient in Germany

by
Swen C. Renner
1,2,* and
Willem van Hoesel
1
1
Institute of Zoology, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, Vienna 1180, Austria
2
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Center, National Zoological Park, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Submission received: 1 March 2017 / Revised: 20 March 2017 / Accepted: 28 March 2017 / Published: 31 March 2017
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity and Species Traits)

Abstract

:

Abstract

A gap still exists in published data on variation of morphological and ecological traits for common bird species over a large area. To diminish this knowledge gap, we report here average values of 99 bird species from three sites in Germany from the Biodiversity Exploratories on 24 ecological and functional traits. We present our own data on morphological and ecological traits of 28 common bird species and provide additional measurements for further species from published studies. This is a unique data set from live birds, which has not been published and is available neither from museum nor from any other collection in the presented coverage.

Dataset

available as the supplementary file.

Dataset license

CC-BY

1. Background

Variation in the structure of ecological communities through space and time is a fundamental property of biodiversity (e.g., [1,2,3]). Mostly, taxonomic measures of diversity are used for detection of patterns in structural variation, e.g., species richness. However, many times, species are more or less similar, for example in their functional characteristics [1,2], showing the imperative character of studies including functional diversity and therefore functional traits. Understanding spatial and temporal patterns of functional diversity and their determinants is important because different functional trait distributions may imply the operation of different assembly processes (e.g., [4]). Previous studies of spatial and temporal variation in functional diversity have used a limited number of functional group classes and a discontinuous measure of diversity (e.g., [5,6]), but largely lack continuous measures of functional diversity and functional traits.
While functional trait research has led to greater understanding of the impacts of biodiversity in ecosystems [7], so far functional trait approaches have not been widely applied with continuous functional/ecological traits for lack of data. Even in bird diversity studies, and European bird studies in particular, with relatively good baseline datasets of functional traits available [8,9,10], continuous measures of functional traits remain limited. However, widely applicable indicators of biodiversity are needed to monitor the responses of ecosystems to global change and design effective conservation schemes [11]. Among the potential indicators of biodiversity, those based on the functional traits of species and communities are probably the best suited [7,11], because they can be generalized to similar habitats and can be assessed by relatively rapid field assessment across eco-regions [11]. Nevertheless, there is still a gap in published data on variation of morphological traits or ecological traits for common bird species over a large area. To improve this knowledge gap, we report here average values of 99 bird species from three sites in Germany from the Biodiversity Exploratories [12] on 24 ecological and functional traits in total. We amend and complete our own data sets by data from already published studies [13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25]. We present (1) our own data on morphological and ecological traits of 28 common bird species and 2158 individuals at three sites in Germany and (2) provide further measurements from other publications available for in total 99 bird species. This is a unique data set, which has not been published or the data made available, neither from museum nor from any other collection in the presented coverage.

2. Data Description

This data set contains data on ecological and morphological traits of birds across three major sites in Germany for 99 bird species. The data covers 2014 and 2015 breeding season in the three areas. The baseline data are amend by the addition of morphological traits compiled through a set of available sources [26,27,28,29,30,31]. For each bird captured, we measured several relevant ecological (four own plus six others) and morphological traits (six own plus eight others).

3. Data

The data are separated into two parts; a table with own data (Table 1) and data compiled from other sources (Table 2).
All traits varied considerably between species (Table 1; Figure 1). Within species and between the three sites, 64% of all tests were not significant. The one-third of cases with a significant difference were equally divided among ecological (28) and morphological traits (24) (Appendix A, Table A1).
However, regarding the interspecies differences in traits between the different habitat categories, 88% of the tests were not significant. Here too, the cases with a significant difference were approximately equally divided among ecological (7) and morphological traits (11) (Appendix A, Table A2). A high number of significant interspecies trait differences exist for Erithacus rubecula, Fringilla coelebs, Parus major, Sitta europaea, Sylvia atricapilla, Turdus merula, and T. philomelos (Appendix A, Table A2).

4. Metadata

This section describes the descriptive metadata variables in the data set. In some of the data dimensions, additional information is added in order to provide a full assessment of the data. For each data dimension, we give the variable name, a short verbal description, the unit measured (if applicable) and the source (own and/or a citation if amended by other resource).

5. Methods

The study was part of the large-scale and long-term biodiversity research project ‘Biodiversity Exploratories’ (www.biodiversity-exploratories.de). The three regions differ in climate, geology, and topography but each is characterized by a gradient of forest management types typical for large parts of temperate Europe [12]. In each region, forest plots are selected to cover the whole range of forest management types, whilst minimizing confounding factors such as spatial position [12]. In this study, we sampled a subset of 70 plots (Schwäbische Alb: 28, Hainich-Dün: 21, Schorfheide-Chorin: 21) from which data for all taxa (see below) were available. The three sites in Germany are:
(1)
The Schwäbische Alb is located in southwest Germany (centroid about 48.41 North, 9.41 East).
(2)
The Hainich-Dün area is located roughly in the center of Germany in-between Schwäbische Alb and Schorfheide-Chorin (centroid about 51.15 North, 10.38 East).
(3)
The Schorfheide-Chorin in northeast Germany (centroid about 52.98 North, 13.76 East).
The distance from the northeast to the center exploratory is about 320 km and from the center to the southwest 270 km as the crow flies.
At each exploratory we captured birds at the forest plots (EP), as defined in [12]. All EPs in which we captured birds can be separated into four habitat categories, which represent most of the forest types of the Biodiversity Exploratories in general: natural beech (Fagus sylvatica; i.e., stands with ≥70% of the canopy layer represented by beech trees with diameter at breast height ≥7 cm and at least unmanaged for 60 years), used beech stands (same as natural beech stands but with regular conventional beech forestry management), mixed-deciduous (≤70%), and coniferous stands that either included Norway spruce (Picea abies; ≥70% of spruce) in the Alb and Hainich-Dün, or Scots pine (Pinus sylvatica) in the Schorfheide-Chorin [12]. All plots are 100 m × 100 m with at least an additional 30 m buffer of the same forest structure. The minimum distance between our EP centroids was 300 m. We captured each plot for in total three days in 2014 and two days in 2015, however with a time gap of at least 10 days between each capture day.

6. Capturing of Birds

We captured birds from April to June 2014 and 2015 in all three Exploratories at the same time frame. For capturing, we used (per Exploratories) eight mist nets of 9 m × 2.5 m (size of mesh: 16 mm, nylon). We opened nets 30 min after local sunrise to hit the activity peak of birds and left nets open for five consecutive hours. For improved capture success we placed two playback stations (two per exploratory) close to the mist nets, playing territorial songs of our nine focal species (these are nine species we focus on for other studies: Cyanistes caeruleus, Erithacus rubecula, Fringilla coelebs, Parus major, Periparus ater, Sylvia atricapilla, Troglodytes troglodytes, Turdus merula, Turdus philomelos; [13]). We determined species, sex, and age wherever possible [28]. We screened each bird individual for ecto-parasites (ticks, lice, feather mites) at the head and the under wing, including the areas of primaries/secondaries covered by the under wing coverts. We scored the flight muscle and fat deposits on the abdomen and the furcular in classes following [32].

7. Handling Birds and Permits

Capturing, handling, and blood drawing were performed in compliance with laws and regulations of the European Union, plus German federal and state legislation. All permits were granted by the Regierungspräsidium Tübingen, Referat Tierschutz (TVG-Nr. FR1/14, 35/9185.81-3) for the Schwäbische Alb, by Thüringer Landesamt für Verbraucherschutz, Dezernat 22, Allgemeines Veterinärwesen, Tierseuchenbekämpfung, Tierschutz (TVG-Nr. 15-002/14, 2684-04-15-002/14) for the Hainich-Dün, and by the Landesamt für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz, Potsdam (TVG-Nr. Para-Aves 2347-3-2014) for the Schorfheide-Chorin. All land owners and land users approved access to the sites.

8. Measuring Birds

All captured birds were measured by three observers (one observer in each site during the field season) in the field to reduce measurements errors through observer bias. In addition, all observers performed a calibration workshop prior to the field season and the discrepancies of measured features was ≤0.05 mm between the observers.
We measured the bill length from tip to proximal end of the operculum, the bill width at the proximal end of the operculum and the bill height at the proximal end of the operculum with a digital caliper to the nearest of 0.01 mm. We determined length of tarsus to the nearest 0.1 mm, and primary feather three (counted from the outside) and wing (tip to carpal joint, flattened) to the nearest of 0.5 mm. To determine the degree of morphological asymmetry, we measured all bilateral traits on both sides of each individual for most individuals, but report only measurements of the left body side (tarsus, for holding position of bird while measured) or right (all other measurements) to reduce bias of different measurement types. For all measurements, the same observer took all measurements from the same individual, resetting the caliper before measuring the next trait. Tarsus length was measured with a digital caliper from the notch at the back of the intertarsal joint to the bend of the toe at the metatarsal joint [28].
We estimated muscle and fat scores (mean scores) in categories as a very rough measure for body condition, following Svensson [28] and Eck et al. [32] respectively.

9. Statistical Analysis

First, we tested the normality of the trait data per given bird species using R [34] and the Shapiro-Wilk test. For 65% of tests that included trait data with more than three observations, the trait data followed a non-normal distribution. Second, to test for differences between Exploratory or between habitat categories, we performed either a non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test for non-normally distributed trait data or a one-way ANOVA for normally distributed trait data (Appendix Table A1 and Table A2).

10. Data Amendments

In addition to our own measured data, we amended and summarized for 99 bird species measurements from other sources that have not yet been presented for the birds, or amended our own data. Our first source for ecological and morphological traits was [28], then we amended the information from [26,27]. Tarsus for Prunella modularis was added from [33] and tarsus of Regulus regulus was added from [31]. We ensured that the specific data from other sources (Table 2) are from the geographically shortest distance towards at least one of the three sites.

11. Bird Species Included

We provide data for Accipiter gentilis, Acrocephalus palustris, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, Aegithalos caudatus, Alauda arvensis, Anser anser, Anthus pratensis, Anthus trivialis, Apus apus, Ardea cinerea, Buteo buteo, Carduelis cannabina, Carduelis carduelis, Carduelis chloris, Carduelis spinus, Certhia brachydactyla, Certhia familiaris, Ciconia ciconia, Coccothraustes coccothraustes, Columba oenas, Columba palumbus, Corvus corax, Corvus corone cornix, Corvus corone corone, Corvus monedula, Coturnix coturnix, Cuculus canorus, Cyanistes caeruleus, Delichon urbica, Dendrocopos major, Dendrocopos medius, Dendrocopos minor, Dryocopus martius, Emberiza calandra, Emberiza citrinella, Erithacus rubecula, Falco tinnunculus, Ficedula hypoleuca, Ficedula parva, Fringilla coelebs, Fringilla montifringilla, Gallinago gallinago, Garrulus glandarius, Grus grus, Hippolais icterina, Hirundo rustica, Jynx torquilla, Lanius collurio, Locustella naevia, Loxia curvirostra, Lullula arborea, Luscinia megarhynchos, Milvus migrans, Milvus milvus, Motacilla alba, Motacilla flava, Muscicapa striata, Oenanthe oenanthe, Oriolus oriolus, Parus cristatus, Parus major, Parus montanus, Parus palustris, Passer domesticus, Passer montanus, Periparus ater, Pernis apivorus, Phasianus colchicus, Phoenicurus ochruros, Phoenicurus phoenicurus, Phylloscopus bonelli, Phylloscopus collybita, Phylloscopus sibilatrix, Phylloscopus trochilus, Pica pica, Picus canus, Picus viridis, Prunella modularis, Pyrrhula pyrrhula, Regulus ignicapillus, Regulus regulus, Saxicola rubetra, Saxicola rubicola, Scolopax rusticola, Sitta europaea, Streptopelia turtur, Strix aluco, Sturnus vulgaris, Sylvia atricapilla, Sylvia borin, Sylvia communis, Sylvia curucca, Sylvia nisoria, Troglodytes troglodytes, Turdus iliacus, Turdus merula, Turdus philomelos, Turdus pilaris, and Turdus viscivorus. Most of the bird species have very low captures and therefore these bird species need to be treated with caution in statistical analysis.

Acknowledgments

We thank the three local management teams of the Biodiversity Exploratories for their incredible support in the field. We thank F. Fischer, W.W. Weisser, K. E. Linsenmair, and F. Buscot for their role in setting up the Biodiversity Exploratories. The work has been funded by the DFG (www.dfg.de) Priority Program 1374 ‘Biodiversity-Exploratories’ (Re1733/6-1). We thank Bruntje Lüdtke, Isa Moser, Julia Kienle, Birke Springer, Marita Salzmann, Manuel Wojta, and Clara Leutgeb for field work and other support in the field. All permits were granted by the Regierungspräsidium Tübingen, Referat Tierschutz (TVG-Nr. FR1/14, 35/9185.81-3) for the Schwäbische Alb, by Thüringer Landesamt für Verbraucherschutz, Dezernat 22, Allgemeines Veterinärwesen, Tierseuchenbekämpfung, Tierschutz (TVG-Nr. 15-002/14, 2684-04-15-002/14) for the Hainich-Dün, and by the Landesamt für Umwelt, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz, Potsdam (TVG-Nr. Para-Aves, 2347-3-2014) for the Schorfheide-Chorin. The funding organizations or permit organizations had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Author Contributions

SCR conceived and designed the study, provided data and wrote and finalized the paper. WvH provided data and the statistical analysis and co-wrote the paper.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Appendix A.

Table A1. Test results for analyzing differences in variation of traits per species in-between the three Biodiversity Exploratories for the set of ecological and morphological traits of 28 common bird species in Germany based on own data. Gray-shaded and bold indicates p-values < 0.05. Underlined p-values indicate ANOVA, otherwise a Kruskal-Wallis test has been performed. n/a indicates no data available for that trait or too low N.
Table A1. Test results for analyzing differences in variation of traits per species in-between the three Biodiversity Exploratories for the set of ecological and morphological traits of 28 common bird species in Germany based on own data. Gray-shaded and bold indicates p-values < 0.05. Underlined p-values indicate ANOVA, otherwise a Kruskal-Wallis test has been performed. n/a indicates no data available for that trait or too low N.
SpeciesFat ScoreMuscle ScoreBody MassBill HeightBill LengthTarsusWingp3
Aegithalos caudatusn/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/a
Certhia familiaris0.060.100.340.070.490.730.280.47
Coccothraustes coccothraustes0.510.200.110.460.250.300.490.14
Cyanistes caeruleus0.000.000.520.150.940.480.200.33
Dendrocopos major0.470.050.210.050.840.210.611.00
Dendrocopos mediusn/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/a
Erithacus rubecula0.000.000.480.000.000.000.190.89
Ficedula hypoleucan/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/a
Fringilla coelebs0.000.000.740.010.010.050.120.05
Muscicapa striatan/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/a
Parus cristatusn/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/a
Parus major0.000.000.000.000.000.090.110.85
Parus montanus0.330.250.720.910.270.040.390.67
Parus palustris0.030.010.450.590.450.270.690.43
Periparus ater0.020.120.970.750.730.630.430.90
Phoenicurus phoenicurusn/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/a
Phylloscopus collybita0.790.170.050.210.220.450.380.76
Phylloscopus sibilatrix0.481.00n/a0.810.780.870.350.39
Phylloscopus trochilus0.340.340.010.180.180.750.260.12
Prunella modularis0.200.000.380.050.000.340.140.46
Pyrrhula pyrrhula0.010.480.180.250.000.210.180.00
Sitta europaea0.000.000.970.050.580.020.250.89
Sturnus vulgarisn/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/a
Sylvia atricapilla0.000.000.020.000.000.060.020.09
Troglodytes troglodytes0.000.000.690.170.170.130.030.01
Turdus merula0.000.000.070.000.000.000.000.09
Turdus philomelos0.000.000.660.000.000.560.010.05
Turdus viscivorus0.790.050.130.110.160.340.250.09
Table A2. Test results for analyzing differences in variation within species in-between the four different habitat categories for the set of ecological and morphological traits of 28 common bird species in Germany based on own data. Gray-shaded and bold indicates p-values < 0.05. Underlined p-values indicate ANOVA, otherwise a Kruskal-Wallis test has been performed. n/a indicates no data available for that trait or too low N.
Table A2. Test results for analyzing differences in variation within species in-between the four different habitat categories for the set of ecological and morphological traits of 28 common bird species in Germany based on own data. Gray-shaded and bold indicates p-values < 0.05. Underlined p-values indicate ANOVA, otherwise a Kruskal-Wallis test has been performed. n/a indicates no data available for that trait or too low N.
SpeciesFatMuscle ScoreBody MassBill HeightBill LengthTarsusWingp3
Aegithalos caudatusn/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/a
Certhia familiaris0.510.690.030.660.150.070.120.22
Coccothraustes coccothraustes0.320.510.890.720.410.160.600.83
Cyanistes caeruleus0.900.580.840.180.160.750.550.39
Dendrocopos major0.930.660.730.580.830.390.850.27
Dendrocopos mediusn/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/a
Erithacus rubecula0.020.040.630.050.000.060.060.02
Ficedula hypoleucan/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/a
Fringilla coelebs0.010.020.99 0.300.030.100.820.99
Muscicapa striatan/an/a0.460.730.120.510.830.83
Parus cristatus0.16n/a0.180.820.760.300.730.82
Parus major0.440.880.660.390.290.310.290.07
Parus montanus0.260.550.860.730.380.320.600.26
Parus palustris0.730.120.460.650.240.830.880.73
Periparus ater0.560.180.440.760.810.730.280.13
Phoenicurus phoenicurusn/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/a
Phylloscopus collybita0.300.420.930.090.700.540.180.57
Phylloscopus sibilatrix0.481.00n/a0.810.780.870.350.39
Phylloscopus trochilus0.440.480.250.380.000.510.830.87
Prunella modularis0.200.450.570.720.190.840.600.32
Pyrrhula pyrrhula0.290.900.220.290.010.260.760.18
Sitta europaea0.080.070.430.240.010.870.240.14
Sturnus vulgarisn/an/an/an/an/an/an/an/a
Sylvia atricapilla0.010.550.070.080.030.000.020.01
Troglodytes troglodytes0.980.480.750.900.380.490.970.62
Turdus merula0.230.690.840.260.840.310.010.02
Turdus philomelos0.150.030.950.150.700.130.660.56
Turdus viscivorus0.350.240.250.490.850.030.510.60

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Figure 1. Selected traits of the most common bird species in the three Biodiversity-Exploratories in 2014 and 2015; ALB: Schwäbische ALB in the southwest, HAI Hainich-Dün in the center, and SCH Schorfheide-Chorin in the northeast of Germany. (a) Average body mass in grams; (b) average wing length in mm from tip to bow, flattened; (c) average fat scores (following [28,32]); (d) average length of primary three (counted from outside) in mm; (e) average tarsus length (back of the intertarsal joint to the bend of the toe at the metatarsal joint [28] in mm); (f) average muscle scores (following [28,32]).
Figure 1. Selected traits of the most common bird species in the three Biodiversity-Exploratories in 2014 and 2015; ALB: Schwäbische ALB in the southwest, HAI Hainich-Dün in the center, and SCH Schorfheide-Chorin in the northeast of Germany. (a) Average body mass in grams; (b) average wing length in mm from tip to bow, flattened; (c) average fat scores (following [28,32]); (d) average length of primary three (counted from outside) in mm; (e) average tarsus length (back of the intertarsal joint to the bend of the toe at the metatarsal joint [28] in mm); (f) average muscle scores (following [28,32]).
Data 02 00012 g001
Table 1. Data sets of ecological and morphological traits of 28 common bird species in Germany (own data, metadata see Table 3). Gray-shaded areas are what we consider ecological traits, all others are morphological traits. n/a indicates that data was not available from other source or we could not measure this trait on the birds.
Table 1. Data sets of ecological and morphological traits of 28 common bird species in Germany (own data, metadata see Table 3). Gray-shaded areas are what we consider ecological traits, all others are morphological traits. n/a indicates that data was not available from other source or we could not measure this trait on the birds.
SpeciesTotal NFat score (Mean)Muscle Score (Mean)Body Mass Mean± SDBill Height Mean± SDMinMaxBill Width Mean± SDMin>MaxBill Height Mean± SDMinMaxTarsus Mean± SD>MinMaxWing Mean± SDMinMaxP3 Mean± SDMinMax
Aegithalos caudatus31.002.507.350.493.270.203.133.413.200.253.023.385.920.215.776.0717.730.9017.0918.3763.132.6561.2565.0047.002.1245.5048.50
Certhia familiaris451.733.149.323.443.010.512.444.903.030.752.365.5712.692.119.7018.7215.102.857.5821.2162.5312.3332.7589.0048.317.6024.5065.50
Coccothraustes coccothraustes121.901.7053.734.3715.590.8214.6017.0013.780.7312.7214.7218.940.7817.6620.3221.830.5620.8522.75102.6817.7454.50118.0074.7511.9841.0081.25
Cyanistes caeruleus1062.032.8211.000.654.280.263.364.883.980.512.485.007.800.516.678.8916.770.6115.4318.0967.842.3162.2577.5051.173.4426.5056.75
Dendrocopos major261.851.8684.5616.718.690.557.669.419.541.037.5811.1626.421.9123.1929.2422.804.4312.2425.64122.1731.6169.50142.5092.4222.9451.25107.00
Dendrocopos medius22.002.0054.50n/a6.08n/a6.086.087.65n/a7.657.6519.02n/a19.0219.0221.05n/a21.0521.05124.50n/a124.50124.5094.50n/a94.5094.50
Erithacus rubecula3801.652.5216.391.303.620.252.844.744.450.363.245.949.960.816.5312.1125.251.1912.9226.9373.055.3034.5078.5053.604.9926.7574.75
Ficedula hypoleuca22.002.0011.75n/an/an/a0.000.00n/an/a0.000.007.74n/a7.747.748.44n/a8.448.44n/an/a0.000.00n/an/a0.000.00
Fringilla coelebs2101.641.9121.971.287.020.415.618.256.370.444.928.0411.920.759.3013.7718.240.869.8122.0686.7110.9942.7596.5066.168.2232.2573.75
Muscicapa striata62.002.0015.221.833.900.273.594.345.800.595.056.3610.930.6110.0211.8013.922.768.3215.4883.2118.8945.0094.0062.5813.8634.5070.50
Parus cristatus41.332.0010.900.363.490.103.413.613.570.513.003.978.130.677.368.6118.710.2218.4918.9366.171.2364.7567.0050.171.0449.0051.00
Parus major3291.892.4917.361.264.460.293.706.254.780.533.255.9810.210.697.6113.3919.910.949.3426.3076.115.7436.5082.0057.013.9727.2562.00
Parus montanus171.932.9311.040.6834.23113.053.57427.004.570.463.675.508.880.737.7910.4115.622.928.3817.3861.9211.7733.0069.0046.058.6124.7550.75
Parus palustris341.842.7811.090.404.100.203.634.504.330.383.675.158.820.536.979.6716.580.3315.5417.2064.426.4531.5069.5048.174.4225.5052.00
Periparus ater331.582.679.671.323.520.193.124.053.900.442.564.749.050.457.6110.3416.640.6713.9717.8463.842.1758.7567.5048.131.6844.2551.00
Phoenicurus phoenicurus13.002.0015.40n/a3.90n/a3.903.904.97n/a4.974.9710.40n/a10.4010.4020.09n/a20.0920.0982.00n/a82.0082.0062.25n/a62.2562.25
Phylloscopus collybita131.312.857.860.602.730.342.413.593.580.312.954.238.490.557.429.6019.670.7518.5121.5258.049.3230.0068.0045.462.8940.7551.25
Phylloscopus sibilatrix32.333.009.150.713.140.422.813.623.760.573.114.108.230.587.798.8917.910.6517.3518.6376.925.0072.0082.0058.004.7753.5063.00
Phylloscopus trochilus131.752.758.481.122.840.372.343.353.720.273.274.058.460.726.809.2817.883.579.4620.8358.3113.5828.0070.5044.0310.3821.7554.00
Prunella modularis391.592.3718.691.203.960.243.504.415.080.274.395.7310.960.5410.0012.4520.560.8419.1223.3272.072.0368.0077.0053.194.3829.5057.50
Pyrrhula pyrrhula131.831.9224.901.839.070.498.3410.069.050.578.4010.0910.770.809.7612.5717.460.5316.2718.1589.293.5983.5097.5067.022.5362.5070.75
Sitta europaea441.692.7421.721.334.720.314.035.685.600.464.896.9614.921.6410.8818.8720.500.6718.5921.8586.667.6643.2593.5066.031.8862.7569.25
Sturnus vulgaris12.002.0073.34n/a7.29n/a7.297.297.59n/a7.597.5921.53n/a21.5321.5329.89n/a29.8929.89132.00n/a132.00132.0097.50n/a97.5097.50
Sylvia atricapilla3161.732.1817.221.493.830.292.856.404.990.423.817.4710.630.658.8512.2620.470.9110.6023.9774.933.0336.5088.0055.275.3927.2567.50
Troglodytes troglodytes781.743.219.950.892.820.222.013.383.220.312.474.2810.250.738.2011.5917.400.6715.7518.5449.563.7726.5054.2536.603.0217.7540.00
Turdus merula2641.821.6187.345.277.320.425.619.037.120.615.499.1019.051.1114.2021.9733.371.0930.7240.38128.5814.5746.75140.5096.7033.5445.75552.75
Turdus philomelos1511.721.6368.357.516.400.425.658.486.920.645.019.1615.841.0412.8122.0532.112.1415.5335.29117.9612.5958.75161.0085.7312.7443.25117.50
Turdus viscivorus132.091.83107.689.807.550.656.659.027.820.666.958.9417.631.1515.6019.6333.430.9032.1534.65153.856.06143.00160.50114.885.72102.75121.25
Table 2. Compiled data for 99 common bird species in Germany (sources and metadata see Table 3). Gray-shaded areas are what we consider ecological traits, all others are morphological traits. n/a indicates that data are not available or published.
Table 2. Compiled data for 99 common bird species in Germany (sources and metadata see Table 3). Gray-shaded areas are what we consider ecological traits, all others are morphological traits. n/a indicates that data are not available or published.
SpeciesDietWing length MinWing length MaxBody Length MinBody Length MaxTail Length MinTail Length MaxBill Length MinBill Length MaxTarsus Length MinTarsus Length MaxBody Mass MINBody Mass MAXIncubation Time MinIncubation Time MaxNestling stage MinNestling stage MaxClutch Size MinClutch Size MaxWing Span MinWing Span MaxMaximum Broods Per YearMaximum Age EURINGWingbeat FrequencyWing Area
Accipiter gentiliscarnivore303.0360.048.062210.0270.020.024.072.578.05001350364136403493127.01204.20.2400
Acrocephalus palustrisinsectivore68.076.012.01447.061.011.117.216.919.4111512121014451821.011013.70.0072
Acrocephalus scirpaceusinsectivore62.073.012.01453.656.212.118.522.324.1101511141014351721.021312.40.0074
Aegithalos caudatusinsectivore57.064.013.01580.092.06.07.016.017.579141415158121619.0111n/an/a
Alauda arvensisinsectivore98.0118.018.01959.574.012.816.322.527.0334511141616353036.02117.30.0233
Anser anserherbivore425.0480.075.09058.074.0129.0150.073.082.0290037002728506049147180.0127n/an/a
Anthus trivialisinsectivore13.415.814.01656.665.581.091.020.023.2202512141014462527.02910.10.0126
Anthus pratensisinsectivore13.214.914.01553.063.574.086.018.421.8162513141314452225.0289.60.0143
Apus apusinsectivore163.0187.016.01769.085.011.214.010.013.0365020203648234044.01218.50.0150
Ardea cinereacarnivore425.0470.090.098155.0175.0100.0125.0135.0165.0160020002528425035155175.01362.80.3580
Buteo buteocarnivore366.0424.050.057193.0222.020.025.569.582.060013003636455023113128.01293.50.2540
Carduelis cannabinagranivore78.086.013.01450.057.011.013.214.716.9152012131214462225.021012.00.0093
Carduelis spinusgranivore69.077.011.01240.048.011.914.113.014.6101413131515352023.021412.00.0079
Carduelis chlorisgranivore82.091.014.01651.059.014.520.916.518.9253412151316462527.021312.10.0112
Carduelis carduelisgranivore78.087.012.01343.552.513.616.513.715.4121812141215462125.021211.60.0099
Certhia brachydactylainsectivore59.067.512.01350.464.515.323.014.817.281215151515561720.026n/an/a
Certhia familiarisinsectivore60.067.012.01452.070.013.921.213.017.081215151515561821.029n/an/a
Ciconia ciconiaomnivore530.0630.0100.0115215.0240.0140.0190.0195.0240.0300035003334586436183217.01392.60.6508
Coccothraustes coccothraustesgranivore102.0112.017.01846.054.018.722.619.823.0486212121111462933.0113n/an/a
Columba oenasgranivore208.0226.032.034102.0115.019.021.028.032.025034016182030226066.0413n/an/a
Columba palumbusgranivore238.0258.040.042158.0185.019.723.529.035.045052017173334226877.02186.60.0904
Corvus monedulaomnivore215.0247.033.034112.0139.029.536.532.546.022027017183035366473.01206.30.0618
Corvus coraxomnivore375.0442.054.067222.0246.068.084.064.573.5100015002021404036115130.01214.00.2472
Corvus corone cornixomnivore286.0335.044.051179.0219.047.058.053.062.0540600171830324684100.01184.70.1470
Corvus corone coroneomnivore300.0345.044.051170.0203.051.563.047.663.4540600171830324684100.01184.70.1470
Coturnix coturnixgranivore106.0119.016.01835.043.010.513.024.527.570135172011198133235.021111.60.0200
Cuculus canorusinsectivore208.0230.032.034163.0178.018.024.019.524.51051301213202310255560.0n/a13n/an/a
Cyanistes caeruleusinsectivore65.071.011.01250.057.05.511.516.018.5912131519206151820.0115n/an/a
Delichon urbicainsectivore102.0118.012.01357.066.05.58.010.011.7152117202426262629.021510.0n/a
Dendrocopos majorinsectivore135.0150.022.02387.991.525.631.524.424.9709011132024473439.0113n/an/a
Dendrocopos minorinsectivore89.099.014.01556.065.015.519.014.016.5182212141820462527.018n/an/a
Dendrocopos mediusinsectivore120.0131.020.02277.086.522.026.220.023.0508012142223473334.018n/an/a
Dryocopus martiusinsectivore227.0241.040.046159.0173.050.062.036.039.030035012142428466468.0114n/an/a
Emberiza citrinellagranivore79.095.016.01766.084.012.217.218.521.224301113914352329.0213n/an/a
Emberiza calandragranivore88.0105.016.01957.081.015.118.722.527.1385512131014352632.01n/an/an/a
Erithacus rubeculainsectivore71.077.012.51455.063.514.016.423.327.0162213141315572022.021811.90.0101
Falco tinnunculuscarnivore234.0271.025.032151.0188.012.517.037.547.219030027312730467180.01244.90.0777
Ficedula hypoleucainsectivore74.083.012.01350.056.012.014.215.818.091513131418582224.011110.70.0091
Ficedula parvainsectivore66.073.011.01243.754.98.810.315.018.281313141315471521.01n/an/an/a
Fringilla montifringillagranivore85.096.514.01656.070.014.517.817.520.3232912121414672527.011510.80.0125
Fringilla coelebsgranivore80.092.014.01655.073.410.015.016.023.0192412131215452528.021410.80.0130
Gallinago gallinagoomnivore128.0140.023.02846.061.062.575.031.036.58012020202121444447.01198.80.0309
Garrulus glandariusomnivore168.0195.032.035139.0163.032.542.039.245.314019016162020365258.01176.30.0662
Grus grusomnivore545.0610.096.0119103.0220.0105.0118.0220.0260.0400070002830657022180222.0118n/an/a
Hippolais icterinainsectivore73.082.013.01447.060.014.517.520.023.0122213131313452124.011112.40.0081
Hirundo rusticainsectivore118.0131.017.02176.0132.011.214.09.711.5162515152024463234.52167.70.0140
Jynx torquillainsectivore82.593.016.01760.067.015.517.318.320.53045121418227102527.021010.20.0150
Lanius collurioinsectivore88.0100.016.01864.283.012.017.025.029.0214014161212462427.01810.20.0145
Locustella naeviainsectivore61.068.012.01351.059.011.513.519.021.0111513151012561821.02514.70.0070
Loxia curvirostragranivore91.0103.016.01853.061.017.021.215.021.0284014161618342730.027n/an/a
Lullula arboreainsectivore87.097.014.01548.054.09.512.020.023.0243614141113342730.0299.70.0164
Luscinia megarhynchosinsectivore77.086.015.01761.068.016.518.226.329.4182714141314452326.011011.10.0116
Milvus milvuscarnivore483.0535.056.073310.0390.025.129.051.061.075013003030505523140165.01262.80.3040
Milvus migranscarnivore434.0480.055.060220.0280.022.028.052.062.06509503030424523130155.01243.10.2744
Motacilla flavainsectivore81.094.016.01876.090.066.076.019.025.0162212131717562327.01910.70.0103
Motacilla albainsectivore74.086.017.01964.075.580.092.021.325.5192712141316562530.031310.10.0129
Muscicapa striatainsectivore85.094.014.01556.065.014.817.814.116.0131912141115452325.021110.60.0110
Oenanthe oenantheinsectivore90.0102.014.01649.060.015.318.827.630.0174114141416362632.02109.00.0157
Oriolus oriolusinsectivore144.0163.022.02574.994.520.026.520.024.0656714151415344447.017n/an/a
Parus cristatusinsectivore59.067.011.01248.256.36.88.517.019.0101314142022581720.0112n/an/a
Parus majorinsectivore70.081.014.01560.071.512.016.018.920.81621131418186122123.0216n/an/a
Parus palustrisinsectivore59.070.012.01352.060.09.211.015.817.1912141418186101820.0112n/an/a
Parus montanusinsectivore60.068.012.01354.064.09.811.616.017.6912141418186101921.0112n/an/a
Passer montanusgranivore67.072.012.51452.057.012.314.616.318.3192511131315462022.0314n/an/a
Passer domesticusgranivore73.083.014.01554.060.012.015.516.519.7223212141317232125.0320n/an/a
Periparus aterinsectivore59.065.010.01246.053.011.212.015.918.3810141416236101819.021013.50.0061
Pernis apivorusinsectivore383.0441.052.060230.0276.019.023.046.555.060011003035404422125135.01293.30.2600
Phasianus colchicusomnivore220.0274.055.090468.0560.027.032.564.077.09001400232512148157090.0127n/an/a
Phoenicurus phoenicurusinsectivore75.085.013.01553.561.512.815.819.723.3122012141317572124.011011.00.0106
Phoenicurus ochrurosinsectivore80.091.013.01558.065.013.416.322.124.1141913131617562326.021210.40.0106
Phylloscopus bonelliinsectivore57.068.011.01212.013.111.013.518.319.77913141012461620.01n/an/an/a
Phylloscopus trochilusinsectivore60.070.011.01210.913.711.513.017.421.081012151314471722.011212.10.0071
Phylloscopus sibilatrixinsectivore70.081.012.01346.056.012.413.617.022.071267131312122024.0111n/an/a
Phylloscopus collybitainsectivore53.068.010.01242.054.010.112.517.521.06912151314471521.029n/an/a
Pica picaomnivore186.0215.040.051193.0296.036.044.641.052.620025017182224485360.01226.80.0595
Picus canusinsectivore143.0155.025.02692.0104.036.044.025.328.512516514152428793840.016n/an/a
Picus viridisinsectivore159.0171.031.03395.0104.042.553.028.533.018022015152327584042.0116n/an/a
Prunella modularisinsectivore66.074.013.01453.062.010.712.720.021.992412141014361921.021213.50.0090
Pyrrhula pyrrhulagranivore62.095.014.01664.073.014.015.917.018.4212713141618462226.0213n/an/a
Regulus ignicapillusinsectivore48.056.09.01036.044.012.014.615.621.257151520207101316.02n/a21.3n/a
Regulus regulusinsectivore50.058.09.01051.059.06.08.017.019.057151520207101315.02614.00.0053
Saxicola rubetrainsectivore71.083.012.01444.549.013.316.319.524.0162414141114572425.01611.30.0095
Saxicola rubicolainsectivore63.071.012.01342.052.012.315.521.024.5141714151416561821.039n/an/a
Scolopax rusticolacarnivore190.0214.033.03580.090.065.080.034.040.025042022231520445665.0116n/an/a
Sitta europaeainsectivore72.092.013.01544.049.018.121.819.420.7192415182424582627.0113n/an/a
Streptopelia turturgranivore170.0182.026.02896.0112.017.019.023.024.010018014141818224550.02217.40.0400
Strix alucocarnivore268.0298.037.039154.0185.025.529.544.053.0330590283032373694104.0123n/an/a
Sturnus vulgarisinsectivore121.0138.019.02259.066.021.529.527.130.3759012132020463742.022310.10.0230
Sylvia communisinsectivore67.077.013.01557.067.049.257.421.722.512181212913351923.01913.00.0087
Sylvia borininsectivore74.083.013.01449.058.010.215.117.021.8162312121010462024.021512.20.0095
Sylvia curuccainsectivore60.070.012.01450.058.012.513.917.920.4101611131112351820.01713.00.0073
Sylvia atricapillainsectivore72.080.013.01556.062.013.216.118.721.5142013141013362224.021213.30.0098
Sylvia nisoriainsectivore80.093.015.01764.079.015.918.322.028.0213512151215462327.0112n/an/a
Troglodytes troglodytesinsectivore45.052.09.01029.035.09.512.216.018.581314161418571415.027n/an/a
Turdus merulainsectivore119.0138.024.02999.0116.024.532.530.235.08011012141414353438.53179.60.0297
Turdus viscivorusinsectivore142.0164.026.029103.0118.023.326.531.535.011014012151215354247.52138.50.0358
Turdus iliacusinsectivore109.0127.019.02369.089.018.523.528.032.0557512141214563334.0218n/an/a
Turdus philomelosinsectivore109.0123.021.02478.090.022.024.031.833.8659012141314353336.021810.20.0226
Turdus pilarisinsectivore136.0153.022.02798.0115.023.625.729.534.48014013141414563942.02188.20.0335
Table 3. Metadata of the data set with detailed descriptor of the variables including unit (if applicable) and source.
Table 3. Metadata of the data set with detailed descriptor of the variables including unit (if applicable) and source.
Variable NameDescriptionUnitSource
Bill height (mean ± SD, minimum, maximum)Bill height measured at proximal end of operculummmOwn
Bill length (mean ± SD, minimum, maximum)Bill length measured from tip to proximal end of operculummmOwn
Bill length maxMaximum length of bill from tip to front of craniummm[28] amended by [26]
Bill length minMinimum length of bill from tip to front of craniummm[28] amended by [26]
Bill width (mean ± SD, minimum, maximum)Bill width measured at proximal end of operculummmOwn
Body length maxMaximum body length of live bird from bill tip to longest tail feathercm[27]
Body length minMinimum body length of live bird from bill tip to longest tail feathercm[27]
Body mass (mean ± SD, minimum, maximum)Live body mass of bird as measured in the fieldgOwn
Body mass maxMaximum body mass as from literature g[27]
Body mass minMinimum body mass as from literatureg[27]
Clutch size maxMaximum number of eggs in clutch#[27]
Clutch size minMinimum number of eggs in clutch#[27]
Fat (mean score)Abdominal fat scores following Svensson [28] and Eck, Fiebig, Fiedler, Heynen, Nicolai, Töpfer, Winkler and Woog [32]ScoreOwn
DietMajor feeding group of species during breeding (roughly April to June)ClassOwn data (amended from [26])
Incubation time maxMaximum number of days from egg laying to hatchingdays[27]
Incubation time minMinimum number of days from egg laying to hatchingdays[27]
Maximum age EURINGMinimum/Maximum age observed of banded birds (in years, rounded to the next year, if any month was specified)#[27]
Maximum broods per yearMinimum/Maximum number of broods observed per species so far#[27]
Muscle (mean score)Abdominal muscle scores following Svensson [28] ScoreOwn
Nestling stage maxMaximum number of days a nestling is on the nest, typically from hatching to flyingdays[27]
Nestling stage minMinimum number of days a nestling is on the nest, typically from hatching to flyingdays[27]
P3 (mean ± SD, minimum, maximum)Mean value of primary 3 length measured on right and left body side of individualmmOwn
SpeciesScientific name species
Tail length maxMaximum length of tail, measured after Svensson [28]mm[26]
Tail length minMinimum length of tail, measured after Svensson [28]mm[26]
Tarsus (mean ± SD, minimum, maximum)Mean value of tarsus length measured on right and left body side of individualmmOwn
Tarsus length maxMaximum length of tarsus (‘Lauf’ in von Blotzheim and Bauer [26])mm[26] amended by [29]
Tarsus length minMinimum length of tarsus (‘Lauf’ in von Blotzheim and Bauer [26])mm[26] amended by [33]
Wing (mean ± SD, minimum, maximum)Mean value of wing length measured on right and left body side of individualmmOwn
wing areaArea of the wing covered if stretched fullym2[27]
Wing length maxMaximum wing length, measured from bow to tip (typically flattened)mm[28] amended by [26]
Wing length minMinimum wing length, measured from bow to tip (typically flattened)mm[28] amended by [26]
Wing span maxMaximum wingspan of flattened and stretched wings from one wing tip to the othermm[27]
Wing span minMinimum wingspan of flattened and stretched wings from one wing tip to the othermm[27]
Wingbeat frequencyWingbeats per secondHz[27]

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Renner, S.C.; Hoesel, W.v. Ecological and Functional Traits in 99 Bird Species over a Large-Scale Gradient in Germany. Data 2017, 2, 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/data2020012

AMA Style

Renner SC, Hoesel Wv. Ecological and Functional Traits in 99 Bird Species over a Large-Scale Gradient in Germany. Data. 2017; 2(2):12. https://doi.org/10.3390/data2020012

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Renner, Swen C., and Willem van Hoesel. 2017. "Ecological and Functional Traits in 99 Bird Species over a Large-Scale Gradient in Germany" Data 2, no. 2: 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/data2020012

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