Dataset listing bird species, bird hybrids, and associated species information for bird species
Data files
Feb 05, 2026 version files 229.61 KB
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HybridizationBirdDatabase_05_09_18.csv
227.21 KB
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README.md
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Abstract
Dataset describing presence, absence, and extent of hybridization across 1011 bird species. The dataset also includes life history and natural history variables. The common names and species names of all bird species are listed within the dataset.
The dataset was used to document which bird species hybridized with others, and then to determine which species variables were associated with the likelihood of hybridization. Specifically, migration, social bonds, and other species variables were used in comparative analysis to determine which traits make birds more likely to produce offspring with heterospecific species.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.905qftthz
Description of the data and file structure
This CSV file contains the data used to conduct evolutionary analysis of hybridization. The species names are listed for analysis. Other columns represent data specific to each of the species in question.
Files and variables
File: HybridizationBirdDatabase_05_09_18.csv
Description:
Variables
- Species_Common: Common names of the species
- Species: Scientific species name
- SpeciesNoDash: Scientific name without a dash
- HybridBinary: Whether the species hybridizes
- NumberOfHybrids: How many species the focal species hybridizes with
- PasserineNonPasserine: Is the species a passerine
- GroupSizeBreeding: Incomplete group size variable
- GroupSizeNonBreeding: Incomplete group size variable
- MaxGroupSizeExp: Incomplete max group size variable
- ColonialBreeder: Whether the species breeds colonially
- GroupSizeComments:
- NumIndsStudied: Meta data about individuals in the study
- StudyMonths: How long the species was studied
- LekPresence: Whether the species displayed in a lek
- BreedingSystem: The breeding system of the species
- Migratory: Binary variable of whether the species migrated
- MonoOrDi: Whether the species was dimorphic
- TypeOfDimorphism: Type of dimorphism if present
- Habitat: The habitat the species lived in
- HBWMass: Mass of the species
- Cooperator: Whether the species was a cooperative breeder
- CoopBinary: Whether the species was a cooperative breeder coded as 0,1
- GBD_SpeciesID: Species identifier
- Communal_Number: Whether the species called communally
- Social_Bond_Num: length of social bonds in the species
- Territory_Num: Territoriality of species
- Cohesiveness: How strong are the species bonds
- SocialBond: Length of social bonds of species
- CommunalFactor: Communality modified to be a factor
- TerritoryFactor: Territoriality modified to be a factor
- H1:
- H2:
- H3:
- H4:
- H5:
- H6:
- H7:
- H8:
- H9:
- ResearchEffort: Amount of studies on a species
Code/software
Analyzed in the R environment. Code available upon request.
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- NA
Data was derived from the following sources:
- See article methods
Compiled from book (McCarthy EM. Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press; 2006.)
Species names listed in columns A-C.
Hybrid information listed in columns D-E.
Classification as a passerine or not is listed in column F.
Columns G-M were not used in this study.
Column N represents the present of lekking in the species.
Columns O-S represent categorical variables for each species.
Column T represents the average mass of each species.
Column U is a factor variable representing the presence of cooperative breeding.
Columns W-Z are data from Tobias et al 2016 on sociality in birds. Columns AA-AD are holder columns
Columns AE-AM specify which species the focal species hybridizes with.
Column AN specifies the number of papers published on a the specific species in the dataset.
- Leighton, Gavin M.; Lu, Lucy Jingyi; Holop, Eliot et al. (2021). Sociality and migration predict hybridization across birds. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.1946