Data for: Population structure of a grassland songbird (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) to inform conservation units

Understanding the patterns and processes driving population structure is crucial for conservation planning. Spatial conservation units (CUs) for one or more species have been defined using similarities in communities, habitats, and resource management concerns. Additionally, CU boundaries can be informed by population genetic structure. Here, we determined the population structure of the Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), a migratory grassland bird. Its breeding range spans longitudinally across most of North America in the northern U.S. and southern Canada, and its population has declined by 59% from 1971 to 2014. We sampled blood from Bobolinks at seven breeding sites and used a ddRAD sequencing approach to identify 3236 SNPs for population genetic analyses. Using the Bayesian clustering approach, STRUCTURE, we found low levels of genetic differentiation across the breeding range. F st values ranged from 0.002 to 0.036 among all population pairs, and genetic structure followed an isola..., Blood samples were taken from 174 individuals captured with mist nets. SNP genotypes were obtained from ddRAD sequencing. After processing with the Stacks pipeline, genotypes were called from a panel of 3226 SNPs. These genotypes are collated for the 174 birds across 7 sampling locations., This SNP genotype file is formatted in the STRUCTURE data format.