Data from: Inter-annual climate variation influences nest initiation date and nest productivity of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker at the northwestern edge of its range

Climate change, including directional shifts in weather averages and
extremes and increased inter-annual weather variation, is influencing
demograhy and distributions for many bird species. We examined how
temperature and precipitation coinciding with multiple nesting seasons
affected overall nesting success and productivity for
two red-cockaded woodpecker (Dryobates borealis, RCW) populations
at the species' northwestern range periphery. We used 26 years of
nesting data (1991-2016) from the two RCW populations to determine if
inter-annual weather variation has affected nesting pehnology and
productivity. We conducted analyses at both broad nesting periods (30 and
60 days before nesting; 40 days overalpping the nesting period up to
fledging) and short windows to capture the effects of temperature and
precipitation extremes on individual nests. For both RCW populations,
warmer early spring temperatures generally advanced nesting and increased
clutch size and fledgling number. However, effects of average
precipitation varied depending on amount and duration of precipitation in
different time periods. At the nest level, temperature and precipitation
extremes were unrelated to nest success and loss of nestlings (brood
loss). Our results indicate that RCWs are responding to the effects of
climate change in various ways, with warming trends having a positive
benefit on the species at its northwestern range periphery.

气候变化，包括天气均值与极端事件的定向偏移、年际天气变异性加剧，正影响着众多鸟类的种群动态与分布范围。本研究针对红冠啄木鸟（Dryobates borealis，简称RCW）分布范围西北边缘的两个种群，探究了多个繁殖季内的温度与降水条件如何影响其整体繁殖成功率与繁殖产出。我们利用两个种群1991-2016年共计26年的繁殖数据，旨在明确年际天气变异性是否会影响其繁殖物候与繁殖产出。分析涵盖两类时段：宽泛繁殖周期（繁殖前30天、60天，以及覆盖繁殖期至雏鸟出飞的40天时段）与短时间窗口，以此捕捉极端温湿条件对单个巢穴的影响。结果显示，对于两个红冠啄木鸟种群而言，早春气温升高通常会提前繁殖时间，并提升窝卵数与出飞雏鸟数量；但平均降水的影响则因不同时段内的降水量与降水时长而异。在巢穴尺度上，极端温湿条件与巢穴成功率以及雏鸟损失（窝雏损失）并无关联。本研究结果表明，红冠啄木鸟正以多种方式响应气候变化的影响，而气温变暖趋势对该物种分布范围西北边缘的种群具有积极益处。