# Dataset on Forest Bird Communities: Fragmentation Metrics & Manipulated Social Information Cues

## TL;DR

This paper presents a dataset combining habitat features and bird population data from an experiment testing how social cues and habitat fragmentation affect bird communities.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel experimental approach combining habitat fragmentation metrics with manipulated social information cues in a bird community dataset.

## Key findings

- Bird populations responded differently to attractive and repulsive social cues depending on habitat fragmentation levels.
- The dataset enables analysis of how social and environmental factors jointly influence bird habitat selection.
- Effect sizes from this study can be compared with others to identify broader spatiotemporal trends in bird population responses.

## Abstract

Nature conservation aims to prevent species loss, often driven by habitat fragmentation. While island biogeography theory informs many models, animals consider both habitat structure but also on the social conditions in a given area when selecting territories. Individuals assess resource availability, competition, and predation risk through social cues, yet the interaction between such information (attractive vs. repulsive) and the physical properties of the habitat remains poorly understood. We provide data on both, habitat features (forest parameters and fragmentation metrics) and bird populations along with a large-scale experiment manipulating social information sources (attractive: common forest bird species, repulsive: common forest predator, mixed: attractive and repulsive alternated), testing how different local conditions scenarios affect bird populations. These data can inform broader analyses of bird responses to environmental and social factors, supporting large-scale assessments of habitat selection and population trends. Comparing effect sizes across similar studies can reveal spatiotemporal trends in bird population responses to the interaction of social and environmental cues on larger scales.