Behavioural responses of a gamebird to human encounters across the hunting season

We examined the behavioural adaptation of rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) in response to human encounters across the hunting season. We conducted disturbance experiments in two different parts of the species’ range, in subarctic (Iceland) and in alpine (Italy) habitats. A single pedestrian observer approached individuals and groups of rock ptarmigan to record flight initiation distance (FID) as a measure of disturbance susceptibility in hunted versus non-hunted populations. We hypothesized that FID would increase during the hunting season and subsequently decrease, returning to pre-hunting levels. The results demonstrated that in hunted sites, FID increased significantly during the hunting season, indicating heightened disturbance sensitivity, and subsequently returned to baseline values post-season. In areas where hunting was not permitted, FID remained relatively constant. The study demonstrates rapid behavioural shifts in response to hunting, emphasizing the impact of hunting on wildli..., , # Data from: Behavioural responses of a gamebird to human encounters across the hunting season

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.jdfn2z3qs](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.jdfn2z3qs)

## Description of the data and file structure

The datasets contain flight initiation distance (FID) measurements and related ecological and environmental variables collected during field studies in Iceland and Italy. A full description of the study design and variable definitions is provided in the accompanying manuscript.

### Files and variables

#### File: dataset_Iceland.csv

**Description:** Flight initiation distance (FID) measurements and related ecological and environmental variables collected in Iceland

* ID: identification number
* time: time of day
* date: sampling date
* site: 2 categories: hunted, not hunted
* sex: 3 categories: female(s), male(s), mixed
* temperature: temperature in °C 
* cover: 2 categories: yes / covered (at least 2/3 of rock ptarmigan obstructed from view from side and/or above...,