Observed declines in body size have differential effects on survival and recruitment, but no effect on population growth in tropical birds

This dataset contains morphological measurements (body mass, wing length) of birds captured as part of a long-term demographic study (1977-2024) in Parque Nacional Soberanía located in Central Panama. Birds were captured using mist-nets in the understory of mature secondary forest. We also include temperature and precipitation data from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) Physical Monitoring Program’s Barro Colorado Island weather station (Paton 2019, STRI). Annual dry and wet season start and end dates were determined by the Panama Canal Authority (1954-2019, Meteorological and Hydrological Branch of the Panama Canal Authority).

Methods
For detailed methods on mist-netting and capture data, see Pollock et al. 2022. PNAS (doi: 10.1073/pnas.2108731119). When birds were captured, they were measured for body mass (using a Pesola scale, g) and wing length (bent wing, mm). This data set contains a subset of data (1993-2020) from the larger long-term demography study (1977-2024).