Data from: Upcycling in the Hawaiian Islands: Native forest birds commonly engage in nest material kleptoparasitism

Nest material theft (or nest material kleptoparasitism) occurs when birds
steal nesting material from other nests. This behavior is likely much more
common for songbirds than it has been reported in the literature. While
the benefits to the thief of stealing nesting material are evident (may
decrease time spent foraging for suitable nesting supplies), gaps in our
knowledge exist as to when we should expect to observe the thieving
behavior. Here are nest height data, species involved in nest material
kleptoparasitism, and timing of the nest material theft. These behavioral
observations occurred in 2012 as part of a larger bird survey at sites on
the Island of Hawaii. In this study, we investigate the species involved
(both thief and victim/donor), whether the donor nest was active/inactive,
and the height of the nests involved for species of common Hawaiian forest
birds. Our study suggests that nest material theft may be a small
but often overlooked contributing factor to nest failure. Our
data are consistent with the height overlap hypothesis, such that common
native Hawaiian forest bird species took nesting material from nests
located in the same canopy strata in which they would forage for arthropod
prey. We provide nest height, tree height, tree species ID, forest
fragment size, species thieving material, and species whose nest material
is being stolen.