Response to food restriction, but not social information use, varies seasonally in captive cardueline finches

Temperate winters can impose severe conditions on songbirds that threaten survival, including shorter days and often lower temperature and food availability. One well-studied mechanism by which songbirds cope with such conditions is seasonal acclimatization of thermal metabolic traits, with strong evidence for both preparative and responsive changes in thermogenic capacity (i.e., the ability to generate heat) to low winter temperature. However, a bird's ability to cope with seasonal extremes or unpredictable events is likely dependent on a combination of behavioral and physiological traits that function to maintain allostatic balance. The ability to cope with reduced food availability may be an important component of organismal response to temperate winters in songbirds. Here we compare responses to experimentally reduced food availability at different times of year in captive red crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) and pine siskins (Spinus pinus) – two species that cope with variable food r..., These data were collected in an experimental, repeated measures design across multiple different experiments. Experiments were identical in their food restriction methodology but were performed with different individuals and in different years. We use this database to compare seasonal differences in food intake and change in body mass during food restriction in captive finches - the red crossbill and pine siskin. Food was restricted by limiting the access to food cups to two 45-minute feeding sessions per day. We also compare seasonal differences in food intake and change in body mass during food restriction between red crossbills with and without predictive social information from food-restricted neighbors. The data deposited here are raw scores of food intake and body mass for each individual in the experiment across three days of food restriction. Some birds were housed as dyads and some individually. For dyads we calcualted food intake as the change in the mass of the food cup divid..., , # Data from: Response to food restriction, but not social information use, varies seasonally in captive cardueline finches

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.37pvmcvt6](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.37pvmcvt6)

Raw data are provided for food intake and body mass during food restriction of red crossbills and pine siskins. 

## Description of the data and file structure

| Bird ID: three digit identifier |
| :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Species: species of focal bird ...