Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus hendersoni) nesting habitat preferences in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada: Habitat modelling and climate change implications

Climate change poses a threat to subarctic ecosystems and subarctic breeding shorebirds may already be experiencing loss of breeding habitat due to the changing landscape. In this study, we focus on the Short-Billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus hendersoni (Rowan, 1932), a species of shorebird that breeds in the subarctic tundra of Canada, around Churchill, Manitoba. We use Maxent, a presence-only species distribution model, to identify its breeding habitat preferences and visualize its distribution. We also estimate the impact of climate change on its breeding habitat distribution. At a local scale, nest sites were mostly predicted by vegetation structure, suggesting that this parameter is associated with nesting requirements. A regional scale analysis highlighted that terrain roughness and elevation are associated with breeding habitat requirements of the species as well as climatic conditions throughout the year. Different climate change scenarios predicted significant modification i..., , # Data from: Short-billed Dowitcher (*Limnodromus griseus hendersoni*) nesting habitat preferences in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada: Habitat modelling and climate change implications

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.k98sf7mjt](10.5061/dryad.k98sf7mjt)

## Description of the data and file structure

Data were collected through intensive nest surveys conducted from 2021 to 2023 near Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, to identify nesting habitat preferences of the Short-Billed Dowitcher, a subarctic breeding shorebird. Presence data were then used with remote sensing terrain data in a species distribution model (Maxent) to assess and visualize suitable nesting habitat in the region.

### Files and variables

#### File: SBDO_nest_locations.csv

**Description:** Short-billed Dowitcher nest locations near Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, from 2021 to 2023.

##### Variables

* species: Short-billed Dowitcher
* long: longitude (meters)
* lat: latitude (meters)

Coordinate reference system : UTM Zone 15N (EPSG:...,