Data from: Spatial, temporal and individual-based differences in nest-site visits and subsequent reproductive success in wild great tits

The behaviour of individual birds before and during the breeding period
may be an important factor determining reproductive success. One commonly
observed behaviour during the breeding period in many species is the
visitation of multiple potential breeding sites. Much research has
attempted to determine the function and consequences of this behaviour,
but traditionally studies have been limited to not examining
individual-level behaviour, or only considering a small number of
individuals. We used automated recording of RFID-tagged birds visiting
nestboxes to study a population of 80 great tits (Parus major) making
>3500 daily visits across 74 breeding sites, to quantify the
frequency, spatial patterning, and temporal occurrence of this behaviour
from the pre-breeding period onwards. We argue that (i) the tight spatial
clustering of visits, (ii) juveniles visiting more sites than adults, and
(iii) males (but not females) continuing to visit other sites even as egg
laying at their own nest occurs, indicate that territoriality and
extra-pair mating may underpin visitation behaviour. Further, we find that
spatial clustering of female visits relates to increased clutch size and
fledging success, while frequently visiting a preferred nesting site
increases the likelihood of obtaining a breeding site but reduces
subsequent reproductive output for both sexes. Our study offers new
insight into the mechanisms potentially driving breeding site visitation
behaviour, and demonstrates its relationship to individual fitness. We
suggest that although visitation behaviour may be related to different
components of fitness, future work should use experiments to fully assess
the causal factors and effects of visitation behaviour.