Summary data on the forage base and critical forage taxa for Chesapeake waterbirds

We collated existing quantitative data on avian dietary composition of 58 waterbird species that make use of the Chesapeake Bay. From this database, we quantified the relative importance of forage taxa to the diets of each waterbird species. This data will enable us to develop a comprehensive suite of forage taxa indicators whose abundance and distributions can be monitored as a proxy for Chesapeake Bay ecosystem health. These data support a paired USGS authored publication.