Delayed dispersal in splendid fairywrens

Delayed dispersal is a critical first step in the formation of both cooperative breeding and family-living groups. However, disentangling the multiple, potentially co-occurring factors that influence the dispersal of young individuals is often difficult and can require multiple data sources. We combine data from a long-term mark-recapture study and field experiments to address the patterns, fitness consequences, and proximate causes of delayed dispersal in the splendid fairywren (Malurus splendens melanotus). This species is a cooperative breeder, with males remaining as helpers more often for more years and settling closer to their natal territories than females. We found that birds who were helpers in one or more years had greater first-year nest success, and the number of years spent helping had a positive impact on survival. By experimentally producing breeding vacancies for young males, we tested if male-biased sex ratio and breeding opportunities constrained dispersal in this syst..., This data comes from a long-term study of color-banded splendid fairywrens (Malurus splendens melanotus) that has been conducted at Brookfield Conservation Park since 1992, and contains both an observational study of natural behavior and an experimental study.
Natural dispersal behavior
We assessed the natural dispersal behavior of splendid fairywrens hatched between 2004 and 2018, the longest uninterrupted stretch of monitoring in this population. Observations on the dispersal behavior of these individuals were conducted between 2005 and 2020. Only young banded as nestlings or as fledglings that were resighted in their first full breeding season (an age status which we refer to as first-year) were included. We categorized the first-year social status of each known-age offspring as either breeders or helpers. For each individual, we also categorized the first-year territory location. First-year territories could either be 1) near—in the same territory that they were hatched in or in an ..., , # Delayed dispersal in Splendid Fairywrens

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.rjdfn2zm8](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.rjdfn2zm8)

Here are found two datasets describing delayed dispersal behavior in a population of Splendid Fairywrens (Malurus splendens melanotus). Below, we detail the contents of each file individually. Included is R code for conducting the analyses described in the manuscript. 

## Description of the data and file structure

File No. 1: \"SPFW natural dispersal outcomes-DRYAD.csv\"

1\. ID -- unique identifier for each individual

2\. sex -- binary variable \"F\" = female, \"M\" = male

3\. hatch_year -- year the bird was born

4\. natal_group -- group that they were hatched out from. If the bird remained a helper, this will likely be the same as the first_year_group (etc.) but may not always be, as sometimes group names shifted. Status is determined based on group composition. A prefix of \"VWG\" indicates purple-backed fairywren group, a prefix of \"SWG\" indicates splendid fai...