Data from: Evaluation of sex differences in the stopover behavior and postdeparture movements of wood-warblers

Sex differences in the behaviors underlying avian protandry, where males arrive at breeding areas earlier than females, are still poorly understood for most species. We tested for sex differences in stopover behavior, refueling rates, and post-departure movements during spring migration in two consecutive years in wood-warblers (Parulidae) at a coastal site on Lake Erie, Ontario, using automated radio telemetry (black-throated blue warblers Setophaga caerulescens and magnolia warblers S. magnolia) and analysis of plasma metabolites as indicators of refueling (magnolia warblers, American redstarts S. ruticilla and common yellowthroats Geothylpis trichas). We found no differences between sexes in stopover duration or refueling index, although we did find subtle sex differences in the onset and end of diel activity, with males beginning to forage earlier in the morning than females and male magnolia warblers ending diel activity later in the evening than female magnolia warblers. More obvious were annual differences in stopover duration and the timing of diel activity, with shorter stopovers and an earlier onset of diel activity in the year with a warmer spring. We also did not find any evidence that sexes differed in their post-departure ground speeds or migration routes. In wood-warblers, males and females can differ in some aspects of their stopover ecology, but these differences are likely context dependent and likely do not drive protandry in a consistent way.morbey_LPBOmorbey_LPBO.csv This file has first capture dates for birds processed through the migration monitoring program at Long Point Bird Observatory. See readme.txt for further details.morbey_radioThis file contains information on birds in the radio telemetry study. Birds were released at Old Cut Research Station (42.584 N, 80.397 W). See readme.txt for details.morbey_tailwindThis file has extracted weather data from the RNCEP dataset. See readme.txt for details.morbey_bloodThis file has data for plasma metabolite study. Birds were captured at Old Cut Research Station (42.584 N, 80.397 W). See readme.txt for details.morbey_dielThis file has data for the analysis of onset and end of diel activity at Old Cut Research Station (42.584 N, 80.397 W). See readme.txt for details.morbey_flightsThis file has data on inter-tower flights after departure from the Old Cut region (within 20 km of 42.485 N, 80.397 W). See readme.txt for details