Data from: Three-toed Woodpecker foraging in the Black Hills
Data files
May 09, 2026 version files 35.39 KB
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ATTW_Foraging_obs_2006.csv
11.72 KB
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ATTW_Foraging_obs_2007.csv
10.21 KB
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ATTW_Foraging_obs_2008.csv
6.27 KB
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README.md
4.27 KB
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VegSummary_2005-2007.csv
2.93 KB
Abstract
Data for foraging observations for American Three-toed Woodpeckers in the Black Hills of South Dakota from 2006, 2007, and 2008. The dataset also includes vegetation data for random points in white-spruce forests of the Black Hills for testing foraging tree use vs. availability.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.34tmpg50j
Description of the data and file structure
The study examined foraging tree substrate use for American Three-toed Woodpeckers in the Black Hills of South Dakota. We compared foraging tree substrate use with tree availability from random points in White Spruce forests in the Black Hills. These are CSV files documenting foraging on tree categories (species, size, and status [living or dead], as referenced in the published paper in Avian Conservation and Ecology (2026). All cell values listed as n/a in the CSV files denote that data for that cell were not available, typically because technicians failed to record that particular datum for the observation in question.
Files and variables
File: ATTW_Foraging_obs_2007.csv
Description: Foraging substrate and duration of foraging bout on each substrate for three-toed woodpeckers in 2007
Variables
- Date: month/day/year
- Location: identifier for specific site in Black Hills
- Time: MDT
- Sex/Age: bird sex
- Age: bird age
- Veg Type: tree species
- Size of Tree: large (> 23 cm dbh, "W") or small (< 23 cm dbh, "S")
- Species of Tree: spruce, pine, or aspen
- Live/Snag/Log: living or dead tree or fallen log
- Duration: time of foraging bout on a specific substrate
- Bird ID: identifier for individual bird
- Duration (proportion of 24 hours): time of foraging bout as percentage of day
- Foraging duration: time of foraging bout in decimal minutes
File: ATTW_Foraging_obs_2008.csv
Description: Foraging substrate and duration of foraging bout on each substrate for three-toed woodpeckers in 2008
Variables
- Date: Month/day/year
- Location: site in Black Hills
- Time: MDT
- Sex: male or female
- Age: adult or juvenile
- Veg Type: spruce (S) or pine (P)
- SSS = small spruce snag
- WSS = wildlife spruce snag
- SPS = small pine snag
- WPS = wildlife pine snag
- Saspen(S) = small aspen (snag)
- Waspen(S) = wildlife aspen (snag)
- Size: large (W) or small (S)
- Species: spruce (S) or pine (P)
- Live/Snag/Log: living, deal (S), or downed log
- Duration: time of foraging bout in minutes and seconds
- Bird ID: individual bird identifier
- Prop Day: foraging bout as percentage of 24-h day
- Foraging duration: time of foraging bout in decimal minutes
File: VegSummary_2005-2007.csv
Description: Vegetation variables for random white spruce forest sites. The listed numbers represent counts for individual tree species.
Variables
- Year: year of survey
- Site: site identifier
- SS: small spruce
- WS: wildlife (large) spruce
- SP: small pine
- WP: wildlife (large) pine
- Saspen: small aspen
- Waspen: wildlife (large) aspen
- OtherTr: other tree (not spruce, pine or aspen)
- SSS: small spruce snag
- WSS: wildlife (large) spruce snag
- SPS: small pine snag
- WPS: wildlife (large) pine snag
- SaspenS: small aspen snag
- WaspenS: wildlife (large) aspen snag
- OtherS: snag that is not spruce, pine or aspen
- Small_Log: small downed log
- Large_Log: large (> 23 cm dbh) downed log
- Notes: additional observations for a survey
File: ATTW_Foraging_obs_2006.csv
Description: Foraging substrate and duration of foraging bout on each substrate for three-toed woodpeckers in 2008
Variables
- Year: year
- Date: day and year
- Location: site identifier
- Time: MDT
- Sex: male or female
- Age: adult or juvenile
- Veg Type: living or dead spruce, pine or aspen
- Species of Tree: spruce, pine or aspen
- Live/Snag/Log: living, dead, or downed log
- Duration: duration of foraging bout in minutes:seconds
- Bird ID: individual bird identifier
- Foraging duration: time of foraging bout in minutes:seconds
- Prop Day: foraging bout as percentage of 24-h day
- Foraging duration in decimal minutes
- Foraging or Not?: Y = bird was foraging; N = bird was preening or resting only
Code/software
Files were initially prepared in Microsoft Excel. Files were saved as CSV files.
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- None
Data was derived from the following sources:
- Ervin et al. (2026) Avian Conservation and Ecology. In press