Skip to main content
Dryad

Territorial aggression and coexistence in hybridizing Campylorhynchus: Disentangling the roles of climate, resource availability, and species interactions in Western Ecuador

Data files

Mar 21, 2025 version files 299.29 KB

Abstract

This dataset documents behavioral responses from standardized playback experiments investigating territorial aggression between two hybridizing tropical bird species, Campylorhynchus zonatus brevirostris (BBWR) and Campylorhynchus fasciatus pallescens (FWR), conducted in western Ecuador in 2018. The data collection focused on three distinct genetic populations: C. z. brevirostris, C. f. pallescens North (admixed population), and C. f. pallescens South (non-admixed population).

The dataset consists of a CSV file:

Data.csv: Contains 4,905 detailed behavioral observations from 112 playback experiments, including approach distances (horizontal, vertical, and direct in meters), response timing (in seconds), specific behavioral responses (Fixed Action Patterns), and number of responding individuals.

The experimental design systematically tested responses to both intraspecific (same-species) and interspecific (different-species) territorial songs, with appropriate control periods using non-territorial bird songs. Each experiment followed a structured protocol of a control and two treatment periods with intervening breaks. All experiments maintained a minimum spatial separation of 400 meters between tested breeding groups to ensure independent observations.

This comprehensive dataset enables researchers to examine how hybridization, climate factors, and resource availability interact to shape territorial aggression and coexistence in tropical bird communities. The data can be used to test hypotheses about interspecific territoriality, asymmetrical aggression patterns, and environmental influences on territorial behavior in hybridization zones. Detailed supplementary information, including a complete ethogram of observed behaviors and metadata for sound recordings used as stimuli, is available in the associated publication.