Fledging times of grassland birds

The data set provides information on the nesting ecology of grassland birds. Data were collected from 1996-2014 video surveillance of 206 nests of 17 bird species that nested in grasslands of three states within the United States (Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota) as well as Alberta, Canada. The data include number of nestlings that fledged from the nest, the time of first fledging relative to local sunrise, duration of the fledging period, and day length of the fledging date relative to the summer solstice.
Data were used to determine how time of fledging initiation and duration varied in relation to species, number of nestlings to fledge, and time within the breeding season. This information is considered to be important to understanding the nesting ecology of grassland birds, which have been experiencing population declines for many years. The data are also relevant to distinguishing among potential drivers of fledging timing, such as avoiding predation and maximizing energy intake.
Original metadata date was 07/13/2018. On 09/12/2018 metadata updated to include reference to published journal article. Minor metadata updates made on 04/08/2019.