Dataset: Perceived risks and rewards of foraging sites strongly affect density and condition of nonbreeding Hudsonian Godwits

We assessed how density and body condition of nonbreeding Hudsonian Godwits (<em>Limosa haemastica</em>), acting as proxies for foraging site quality, were related to foraging success, availability of intertidal foraging habitat, landscape and bay characteristics, human disturbances, and predation risk at 42 intertidal mudflats in southern Chile during 2016. Hudsonian Godwit density and body condition increased with availability of foraging habitat and foraging success, except on mudflats where individuals were more alert and agitated (i.e. higher scanning rates and more displacement flights). In contrast, body condition and density of foraging Hudsonian Godwits were lower at sites with high levels of perceived disturbance. Our findings suggest that the non-lethal effects of disturbances (i.e. perceived risks) may affect behaviour (e.g. scanning rates and displacement flights) in ways that can compromise refuelling rates, body condition, and performance across seasons. The dataset includes 147 surveys at 42 intertidal flats on and near Isla Chiloe, Chile with 40 descriptors of each survey. The metadata file describes the contents of each column.