Data from: Discrete choice modelling of natal dispersal: "choosing" where to breed from a finite set of available areas

1. Classic natal dispersal studies focus mainly on distance travelled.
Although distances capture some of the main selective pressures related to
dispersal, this approach cannot easily incorporate the properties of the
actual destination vs. the available alternatives. Recently, movement
ecology studies have addressed questions on movement decisions in relation
to availability of resources and/or availability of suitable habitats
through the use of discrete choice models (DCMs), a widely used type of
models within econometrics, which explains individual choices as a
function of the properties of a finite number of alternatives. 2. In this
contribution, we show how the dispersal discrete choice model (DDCM) can
be used for analysing natal dispersal data in patchy environments given
that the natal and the breeding area of the disperser are observed. We
test this method using a case study on Great Tits (Parus major) in an
archipelago of small woodlots. 3. Our results show that DDCMs are able to
capture the results of classic distance-based approaches and
simultaneously allow testing hypotheses on how departure and settlement
are affected by variables that characterize the disperser, the natal patch
and the breeding area, as well as their interactions. 4. DDCMs can be
applied to any other species and system that uses some form of discrete
breeding location or a certain degree of discretization can be applied.