Data for: Beyond simple habituation: Anthropogenic habitats influence the escape behavior of spur-winged lapwings in response to both human and non-human threats

Habitat development may affect wildlife behavior, favoring individuals or
behaviors that cope better with perceived threats (predators). Bolder
behaviors in human-dominated habitats (HDH; e.g., urban and rural
settlements) may represent habituation specifically to humans, or a
general reduction in predator-avoidance response. However, such carry-over
effects across threat types (i.e., beyond humans) and phases of the escape
sequence have not been well studied to date. Here we investigated escape
behaviors of a locally common wader species, the spur-winged lapwing
(Vanellus spinosus). We assayed their flight initiation distance (FID) and
subsequent escape behaviors in agricultural areas and in HDH. We found
that lapwings in HDH were bolder, and that the difference was manifested
in several phases of the predator-avoidance sequence (shorter FIDs,
shorter distances fled, and a higher probability of escape by running vs.
flying). When re-approached (by an observer) after landing, lapwings in
HDH were also more repetitive in their FID than those in other habitats.
To determine whether this apparent bolder behavior in HDH areas is merely
a consequence of habituation to humans or represents a broader behavioral
change, we introduced an additional threat type – a remotely-operated
taxidermic jackal (“Jack-Truck”). Finding bolder responses in the HDH to
the human threat alone (and not to the Jack-Truck) could have supported
the habituation hypothesis. In contrast, however, we found a bolder
response in the HDH to both threat types, as well as a correlation between
their FIDs across different sites. These bolder behaviors suggest that HDH
impose a broader behavioral change on lapwings, rather than just simple
habituation. Overall, our findings demonstrate how FID trials can reveal
strong behavioral carry-over effects of HDH following human and non-human
threats, including effects on the subsequent phases of escaping the
predator. Further, FID assays may reveal consistent behavioral types when
assessed under field conditions, and offer a direct way to differentiate
among the various poorly understood and non-mutually exclusive mechanisms
that lead to behavioral differences among organisms in HDH. The
mechanistic perspective is essential for understanding how rapid
urbanization impacts wildlife behavior, populations, and the range of
behaviors within them, even in species apparently resilient to such
environmental changes.