Urbanization enhances ornament expression in a common waterbird

In birds, many components of visual communication (i.e. plumage and non-plumage ornaments) play an important role in signaling of individual quality. It is widely acknowledged that ornament expression may be modulated by environmental conditions, however, it remains relatively poorly explored whether and how urbanization affects the expression of non-plumage ornamentation in urban dwelling-individuals. Here, we investigated the effect of urbanization on the expression of bare-part (non-plumage) putative ornament (i.e., the frontal shield size) across eight populations of a common reed-nesting waterbird, the Eurasian coot Fulica atra. Most importantly, we found robust support for the positive effect of urbanization on shield size and its condition-dependent character in coots. Also, long-term monitoring of a single urban population revealed relationships between the ornament expression and nest site selection patterns, as coots with larger shields were bold enough to colonize more anthro..., , # Urbanization enhances ornament expression in a common waterbird

## Description of the data and file structure

Files and variables

Description:

File: Raw_Data_1.xlsx
The data on frontal shield size, condition, and physiological stress were collected for 485 Eurasian coots (541 capture occasions) from eight paired populations (four urban and four nonurban) across Poland during 11 breeding seasons (years: 2012 - 2023).

File: Raw_Data_2.xlsx
The data on nest defence behaviour were collected for 128 Eurasian coots (204 experiments) from one urban population (Łódź) during 11 breeding seasons (years: 2012 - 2023).

File: Raw_Data_3.xlsx
Data on nest site selection and reproductive performance were collected for 182 Eurasian coots (211 breeding attempts) from one urban population (Łódź) during 11 breeding seasons (years: 2012 - 2023).

Variables

* ID: Individual identity.
* Capture date: Date of bird capture and measurement collection (day of the year).
* Urbanization: The level of urba...,