Data for: Ground nesting in passerine birds: Evolution, biogeography and life history correlates

Nest location is one of the key components of avian reproduction and sharp transitions between different nest location strategies may have profound ecological and evolutionary consequences. Here, we used a phylogenetically-informed comparative framework to reconstruct the evolution of ground nesting behaviour in passerine birds, quantify its biogeographical and habitat variation, and test for its associations with life history traits. Our dataset comprised over 1600 species distributed worldwide and representing ca. 90% of all extant passerine families. Our analyses revealed a scattered phylogenetic distribution and moderate phylogenetic signal in the occurrence of ground nesting in passerines. We also found relatively high forward and backward transitions rates between character states of ground and non-ground nesting, indicating strong evolutionary lability. Non-ground nesting was identified as a likely ancestral state at the root of passerine phylogeny. Occurrence of ground nesting w..., ,