Powdermill Avian Research Center in southwestern Pennsylvania, USA, collected this data on post-breeding molt for 33 temperate-zone passerine species. The dataset includes information on molt timing, duration, intensity, and its relationship to migration distance, double brooding, and wing length, gathered from banding operations between 1986 and 2004. It was authored by Ronald Mumme and is available under a CC-BY-4.0 license.
Use Cases
- Modeling the relationship between migration distance and molt duration based on the described strong negative correlation.
- Analyzing the effect of wing length on molt duration, as the description indicates duration increases with wing length.
- Investigating the link between double brooding and molt initiation timing, as single-brooded species were found to start molt about a month earlier.
- Studying bimodal distributions in biological traits, as molt duration estimates were split into rapid (40–65 d) and slow (82–103 d) groups.
Strengths
- Data collection spans 18 years (1986–2004), providing a long-term perspective.
- Includes 33 passerine species, allowing for comparative interspecific analysis.
- Molt scoring was performed primarily by one individual (RSM), which may improve scoring consistency.
Limitations
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- The 689.2 KB size suggests a limited scope, likely containing summary statistics rather than raw capture records.
Provenance
- Source
- Powdermill Avian Research Center
- Collection Method
- Data collected in association with year-round mist netting and banding operations.
- Time Range
- 1986–2004
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-04-28 20:13:18; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Southwestern Pennsylvania, USA (40.164°N, 79.267°W)