Data and code from: Coastal shorebirds delay maturity more than inland ones

On the basis of data from summer and winter counts of shorebirds,
recaptures, and long-term banding studies from non-breeding grounds in
Australia, we assess the age of first return migration (as a measure of
maturity) and provide a comparative analysis of its association with
habitat use (contrasting coastal and inland wetland habitats). Age
structure: We used data from long-term banding studies of migratory
shorebirds to describe the age structure of shorebird populations
in south-eastern and north-western Australia during the breeding
period. We analysed data collected between 1980 and 2005. Austral summer
and winter comparisons:  We obtained data on winter-summer ratios
from two sources. Shorebirds at key Australian sites are counted
annually (Birdlife Australia 2020) during the austral
summer (usually in January) and austral winter (June or early
July). We analysed data collected between 1980 and 2005, when
counts were carried out for the Population Monitoring Project of
the Australasian Wader Studies Group. Ecological and life‐history traits:
We assembled species-specific data on ecological and life‐history traits
that may associate with age at maturity: non-breeding habitat, migration
distance, breeding latitude and body size. Each species was classified
into one of three categories of non-breeding habitat in Australia:
‘inland’ for species typically occurring in freshwater or other inland
habitats; ‘coastal’ for species typically restricted to coastal habitats;
and ‘mixed’ for species that use both habitats. This dataset is used for
the statistical analyses shown in the article and the R code provided
here.