Data and analysis code for Norton and DuVal - Causes and consequences of nest site fidelity in a tropical lekking bird: win-stay-lose-shift tactics are unrelated to subsequent success, but site-faithful females nest earlier

Nest site selection influences the survival of care-giving parents and
their offspring, but search costs and site availability may limit site
choices. Returning to previous nest sites may reduce costs and allow
parents to better avoid local predators or access familiar resources. We
investigated nest site fidelity in the Lance-tailed Manakin (Chiroxiphia
lanceolata), in which long-lived females raise offspring without male
assistance, and found that site choices are responsive to past success but
do not predict future outcomes. We compared georeferenced nest locations
for the same females detected in consecutive years (245 comparisons for
138 females) and females nesting repeatedly within a year (137 comparisons
for 97 females). Females were faithful to nesting sites in 13.9% of
comparisons across years and 10.2% within years, and were more likely to
nest again in the same site if their offspring fledged. When switching
sites, females moved farther if their previous nest failed. Nest-site
fidelity was unrelated to mate fidelity or female age. We then assessed
whether site choice related to subsequent female survival, nest timing, or
nest survival. Contrary to the hypothesis that win-stay-lose-shift tactics
improve subsequent nesting outcomes, we found females were no more likely
to fledge chicks or survive to a later year after they reused nest-sites.
However, across years, site-faithful females nested earlier on average
than females that switched sites. Early nests were more likely to fledge
chicks, and early-nesting females were more likely to renest when their
first nesting effort was complete. Win-stay-lose-shift tactics may allow
females to avoid areas where predation is likely, but new nest sites are
not safer. Females that reuse nest sites benefit from early nest
initiation, which both correlates with immediate success and creates
potential for longer-term benefits of fidelity through increased
opportunities to renest throughout the breeding season.