Mountain Plover Nest and Brood Habitat Selection in Colorado

2021-2022 field data quantifies habitat use for nests and broods of the Mountain Plover across two Colorado breeding sites. Researcher Casey Weissburg collected this dataset to test stage-specific responses to vegetation structure, food availability, and predation risk. The analysis revealed an unexpected preference for taller vegetation at both nest and brood sites.

Use Cases

• Model probability of nest site use based on vegetation height and breeding stage using resource selection analysis.
• Compare brood-rearing habitat selection between two geographically separated Colorado study sites.
• Test a priori hypotheses about the influence of predation risk and food availability covariates on habitat use.
• Analyze stage-specific shifts in habitat use patterns for a species with precocial, mobile young.

Strengths

• Data spans two complete breeding seasons (2021 and 2022).
• Quantifies three covariate categories (vegetation structure, food availability, predation risk) across standardized site-wide grids.
• Employs a resource selection analysis framework to evaluate 10 a priori working hypotheses.

Limitations

• Dataset size is only 201.3 KB, indicating a limited scope and likely small sample size.
• The authors note unbalanced sample sizes between the two study sites, which may bias results.
• Covariate data is described as potentially coarse, which could limit detection of subtle effects.

Provenance

Source

Field research by author Casey Weissburg, published on figshare.

Collection Method

Field monitoring of located nests and broods, with environmental covariates quantified across standardized grids.

Time Range

2021 to 2022

Freshness

Data current through 2022, with metadata last updated in April 2026.

Geography

Two study sites in Colorado, USA, occupied by geographically separated breeding populations.