Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
285
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.9.0
Dataset results
285 results for “hummingbird”
Supplementary information for Xing et al.: Hummingbird-sized dinosaur from the Cretaceous of Myanmar
<p>This contribution contains an interactive 3D model of HPG-15-3, the TNT nexus file for the phylogenetic analysis, comparative data, and R scripts/tree files to reproduce the following figures of Xing et al. (2019):</p> <p>Figure 02</p> <p>Figure 03</p> <p>Extended Data Figure 06</p> <p>Extended Data Figure 09.</p> <p>Data for Figure 03 were originally published in Schmitz and Motani (2011).</p>
Hummingbird foraging patterns across alpine meadows with RFID-equipped feeders in the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, 2014-2017
Landscape changes can alter pollinator movement and foraging patterns which can in turn influence demographic processes of plant populations. In the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest, USA, forests are encroaching on alpine meadows that harbor diverse plant and pollinator communities. Whether encroachment and isolation of sub-meadows will influence pollinator foraging behaviors is unknown. To help assess those behaviors, subcutaneous Passive Integrated Transponders were implanted into 163 Rufous Hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus), common avian pollinators in western North America and four arrays of five hummingbird feeders were established equipped with Radio Frequency Identification data loggers to passively relocate individuals at points throughout the landscape. The feeder arrays were established on four peaks along Frizzel Ridge in the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest (Lookout Mountain, M1, M2, and Carpenter Mountain). A center feeder was established in a large, central alpine meadow and four satellite feeders c.a. 250m from the center. The satellite feeders were positioned such that at least one was in the open and connected to the center feeder by open habitat, one was in the open but separated from the center by coniferous forest canopy, and one was placed under coniferous forest canopy. Feeders were maintained for 1.5-12 weeks per year from 2014-2017.
Data from: Ecological drivers and consequences of torpor in Andean hummingbirds
<p>This data package accompanies the paper "Ecological drivers and consequences of torpor in Andean hummingbirds", doi: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2099</p>
Journey North - Hummingbird observations by volunteer community scientists across Central and North America (1996-2020)
This data package contains hummingbird migration data (1996 - 2020) across North and Central America collected by 30,703 community scientists for Journey North, a crowdsourced participatory science program of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum. The Journey North Hummingbird Project is an ongoing study of hummingbird phenology conducted at broad spatial and temporal scales. Since 1996, community scientists have tracked first arrival dates and breeding and feeding behavior as well as the onset of fall migration and presence of hummingbird species throughout the winter months in the United States. Focal species are the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) and Rufous Hummingbird. However, observational data is also available for Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus), Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri), Calliope Hummingbird (Selasphorus calliope), Costa's Hummingbird (Calypte costae), Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna), Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphours sasin). Observers also provide estimates of the number of birds sighted. However, observers do not follow standardized methods for counting species observed. Observers do not observe at set times of the day, do not repeat observations regularly, and are not required to provide the length of time during which a specified number of species observed were counted. Therefore, it is recommended that this dataset be analyzed to indicate presence, not abundance. Additional contextual information is provided as text in the comments field of the dataset. The Journey North Hummingbird Project dataset is hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Shared Web Hosting Service.
Data from: The evolution of the traplining pollinator role in hummingbirds, specialization is not an evolutionary dead end
<p>Trapliners are pollinators that visit widely dispersed flowers along circuitous foraging routes. Through coevolution with the flowers they pollinate, trapliners are hypothesised to become more morphologically and ecologically specialised than their non-traplining counterparts. We hypothesised that independent transitions to traplining in hummingbirds should entail convergent morphological specialisation, and we tested whether such transitions are irreversible and lead to lower rates of diversification as predicted by the hypothesis that specialisation is an 'evolutionary dead end'. We find that there have been multiple independent transitions to traplining across the hummingbird phylogeny, but reversals have been rare or incomplete at best. Multiple independent lineages of trapliners have become morphologically specialised, convergently evolving relatively large bills for their body size. Traplining is not an evolutionary dead end however, since trapliners continue to give rise to new traplining species at a rate comparable to non-trapliners.</p>
Data from: Reversal of the adipostat control of torpor during migration in hummingbirds
<p>Many small endotherms use torpor to reduce metabolic rate and manage daily energy balance. However, the physiological "rules" that govern torpor use are unclear. We tracked torpor use and body composition in ruby-throated hummingbirds (<i>Archilochus colubris</i>), a long-distance migrant, throughout the summer using respirometry and quantitative magnetic resonance. During the mid-summer, birds entered torpor at consistently low fat stores (~5% of body mass), and torpor duration was negatively related to evening fat load. Remarkably, this energy-emergency strategy was abandoned in the late summer when birds accumulated fat for migration. Migrating birds were more likely to enter torpor on nights when they had higher fat stores, and fat gain was positively correlated with the amount of torpor used. These findings demonstrate the versatility of torpor throughout the annual cycle and suggest a fundamental change in physiological feedback between adiposity and torpor during migration. Moreover, this study highlights the underappreciated importance of facultative heterothermy in migratory ecology.</p>
Hummingbird Plumage Color Diversity Exceeds the Gamut of all other Birds
<p>A color gamut quantitatively describes the diversity of a taxon's integumentary coloration as seen by a specific organismal visual system. We estimated the plumage color gamut of hummingbirds (Trochilidae), a family known for its diverse barbule structural coloration, using a tetrahedral avian color stimulus space and spectra from a taxonomically diverse sample of 114 species. The spectra sampled occupied 34.2% of the total diversity of colors perceivable by hummingbirds, which suggests constraints on their plumage color production. However, the size of the hummingbird color gamut is equivalent or greater than the previous estimate of the gamut for all birds, making hummingbirds the most diversely colored family of birds known. Using one model of avian visual systems, our new data for hummingbirds increases the avian color gamut by 56%. Our results demonstrate that barbule structural color is the most versatile plumage coloration mechanism, achieving unique highly saturated colors with multi-peak reflectance.</p>
Adaptation to lower latitudes and lower elevations precedes the evolution of hummingbird pollination in western North American Penstemon
<p>Premise: A switch in pollinator can occur when a plant lineage enters a new habitat where the ancestral pollinator is less common and a novel pollinator is more common. Since pollinator communities vary according to environmental tolerances and availability of resources, there may be consistent associations between pollination mode and specific regions and habitats. Such associations can be studied in lineages that have experienced multiple pollinator transitions, representing evolutionary replicates.</p> <p>Methods: Our study focused on a large clade of Penstemon wildflower species in western North America that has repeatedly evolved hummingbird-adapted flowers from ancestral bee-adapted flowers. For each species, we estimated geographic ranges from occurrence data and inferred environmental niches from climate, topographical, and soil data. Using a phylogenetic comparative approach, we investigated whether hummingbird-adapted species occupy distinct geographic regions or habitats relative to beeadapted species.</p> <p>Results: Hummingbird-adapted species occur at lower latitudes and lower elevations than bee-adapted species, resulting in a difference in their environmental niche. Hummingbird-adapted species seem to evolve in lineages that previously adapted to lower latitudes and elevations, since bee-adapted species sister to hummingbird-adapted species also occur in these regions and habitats. Sister species pairs – regardless of whether they differ in pollinator – show relatively little geographic range overlap.</p> <p>Conclusions: Adaptation to a novel pollinator may often occur in geographic and ecological isolation from ancestral populations. The ability of a given lineage to adapt to novel pollinators may critically depend on its ability to colonize regions and habitats associated with novel pollinator communities.</p>
Quantifying phenology and migratory behaviours of hummingbirds using single-site dynamics and mark-detection analyses
<p>Nuanced understanding of seasonal movements of partially migratory birds is paramount to species and habitat conservation. Using nascent statistical methods, we identified migratory strategies of birds outfitted with radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags detected at RFID feeders in two sites in California, USA. We quantified proportions of migrants and residents and the seasonal phenology for each movement strategy in Allen's and Anna's hummingbirds; we also validated our methodology by fitting our model to obligate migratory black-chinned hummingbirds. Allen's and Anna's hummingbirds exhibited characteristics of facultative migratory behaviour. We also quantified apparent annual survival for each migratory strategy and found that residents had significantly higher probabilities of apparent survival. Low survival estimates for migrants suggest that a high proportion of birds in the migrant group permanently emigrated from our study sites. Considered together, our analyses suggest that hummingbirds in both northern and southern California sites partake in diverse and highly plastic migratory behaviours. Our assessment elucidates the dynamics underlying idiosyncratic migratory behaviours of two species of hummingbirds, in addition to describing a framework for similar assessments of migratory behaviours using the multi-state open robust design with state uncertainty (MSORD-SU) model and single-site dynamics.</p>
Single molecule, full-length transcript sequencing provides insight into the extreme metabolism of ruby-throated hummingbird Archilochus colubris
<p>Hummingbirds can support their high metabolic rates exclusively by oxidizing ingested sugars, which is unsurprising given their sugar-rich nectar diet and use of energetically expensive hovering flight. However, they cannot rely on dietary sugars as a fuel during fasting periods, such as during the night, at first light, or when undertaking long-distance migratory flights, and must instead rely exclusively on onboard lipids. This metabolic flexibility is remarkable both in that the birds can switch between exclusive use of each fuel type within minutes and in that de novo lipogenesis from dietary sugar precursors is the principle way in which fat stores are built, sometimes at exceptionally high rates, such as during the few days prior to a migratory flight. The hummingbird hepatopancreas is the principle location of de novo lipogenesis and likely plays a key role in fuel selection, fuel switching, and glucose homeostasis. Yet understanding how this tissue, and the whole organism, achieves and moderates high rates of energy turnover is hampered by a fundamental lack of information regarding how genes coding for relevant enzymes differ in their sequence, expression, and regulation in these unique animals. To address this knowledge gap, we generated a de novo transcriptome of the hummingbird liver using PacBio full-length cDNA sequencing (Iso-Seq), yielding a total of 8.6Gb of sequencing data, or 2.6M reads from 4 different size fractions. We analyzed data using the SMRTAnalysis v3.1 Iso-Seq pipeline, including classification of reads and clustering of isoforms (ICE) followed by error-correction (Arrow). We performed orthology analysis to identify closely related sequences between our transcriptome and other avian and human gene sets. We also aligned our transcriptome against the Calypte anna genome where possible. Finally, we closely examined homology of critical lipid metabolic genes between our transcriptome data and avian and human genomes. We confirmed high levels of sequence divergence within hummingbird lipogenic enzymes, suggesting a high probability of adaptive divergent function in the lipogenic liver pathways. Our results have leveraged cutting-edge technology and a novel bioinformatics pipeline to provide a compelling first direct look at the transcriptome of this incredible organism.</p>
Data from: Extreme elevational migration spurred cryptic speciation in giant hummingbirds
<p>The eco-evolutionary drivers of species niche expansion or contraction are critical for biodiversity but challenging to infer. Niche expansion may be promoted by local adaptation or constrained by physiological performance trade-offs. For birds, evolutionary shifts in migratory behavior permit broadening of the climatic niche by expansion into varied, seasonal environments. Broader niches can be short-lived if diversifying selection and geography promote speciation and niche subdivision across climatic gradients. To illuminate niche breadth dynamics, we can ask how 'outlier' species defy constraints. Of the 363 hummingbird species, the giant hummingbird (<em>Patagona gigas</em>) has the broadest climatic niche by a large margin. To test the roles of migratory behavior, performance trade-offs, and genetic structure in maintaining its exceptional niche breadth, we studied its movements, respiratory traits, and population genomics. Satellite and light-level geolocator tracks revealed an >8,300-km loop migration over the Central Andean Plateau. This migration included a three-week, ~4,100 m ascent punctuated by upward bursts and pauses, resembling the acclimatization routines of human mountain climbers, and accompanied by surging blood-hemoglobin concentrations. Extreme migration was accompanied by deep genomic divergence from high-elevation resident populations, with decisive postzygotic barriers to gene flow. The two forms occur side-by-side but differ almost imperceptibly in size, plumage, and respiratory traits. The high-elevation resident taxon is the world's largest hummingbird, a new species that we describe and name here. The giant hummingbirds demonstrate evolutionary limits on niche breadth: When the ancestral niche expanded due to evolution (or loss) of an extreme migratory behavior, speciation followed.</p>
Figure 3 in Pollination and breeding system in two sympatric Fuchsia (Onagraceae) species at the Parque Nacional do Itatiaia (Brazil): Hummingbirds, insects and facultative self-pollination
Figure 3. Importance Value Index (IVI) for the pollinators of Fuchsia campos-portoi, F. regia, and the overall for both species (Total).
Figure 2. A-D in Pollination and breeding system in two sympatric Fuchsia (Onagraceae) species at the Parque Nacional do Itatiaia (Brazil): Hummingbirds, insects and facultative self-pollination
Figure 2. A-D. Pollinators of F. regia. A and B. Clytolaema rubricauda (Trochilidae) showing large amounts of pollen of F. regia on the throat (B). C and D. Acroceridae flies. E-H. pollinators of F. campos-portoi. E. and F. Stephanoxis lalandi (Trochilidae). Notice the pollen onto the throat (F). G. and H. Bombus brasiliensis (Apidae). Notice the stigmatic surface touching the bee's ventral region (H).
A lightweight backpack harness for tracking hummingbirds
<p>Hummingbirds and other lightweight bird species are challenging to track because they have limited capacity to carry devices for data-logging. We present a simple and customizable three-loop 'backpack' harness for studying hummingbird migration and movement, with step-by-step instructions for harness construction and attachment. The harness has negligible weight and cost (< $0.50 USD/each), is easy for a single person to make and apply in the field, and it requires no complicated setup or equipment. We have field-tested this harness on 74 Giant Hummingbirds (Patagona gigas) with three different types of tracking devices (geolocators, GPS tags, and satellite transmitters) in Chile and Peru from 2017–2020. Based on recaptures to date, we report that harnesses last at least two years, even under high UV-light conditions. We found no evidence of adverse effects of the harnesses on birds after one to two years and apparent survival of geolocator-tracked Giant Hummingbirds was in line with published estimates for other hummingbird species. This harness method is a practical and effective option for mounting ultra-light devices on hummingbirds, and it can be readily modified for other species with short legs, prominent sternal keels, and long wings.</p>
Data for: The genetic basis of floral mechanical isolation between two hummingbird-pollinated Neotropical understory herbs
<p>Floral divergence can contribute to reproductive isolation among plant lineages, and thus provides an opportunity to study the genetics of speciation, including the number, effect size, mode of action, and interactions of quantitative trait loci (QTL). Moreover, flowers represent suites of functionally interrelated traits, but it is unclear to what extent the phenotypic integration of the flower is underlain by a shared genetic architecture, which could facilitate or constrain correlated evolution of floral traits. Here, we examine the genetic architecture of floral morphological traits involved in an evolutionary switch from bill to forehead pollen placement between two species of hummingbird-pollinated Neotropical understory herbs that are reproductively isolated by these floral differences. For the majority of traits, we find multiple QTL of relatively small effect spread throughout the genome. We also find substantial colocalization and alignment of effects of QTL underlying different floral traits that function together to promote outcrossing and reduce heterospecific pollen transfer. Our results are consistent with adaptive pleiotropy or linkage of many coadapted genes, either of which could have facilitated a response to correlated selection and helped to stabilize divergent phenotypes in the face of low levels of hybridization. Moreover, our results indicate that floral mechanical isolation can be consistent with an infinitesimal model of adaptation.</p>
Figure 3 in Botanical composition and structure of hummingbird nests in different habitats from northwestern Patagonia (Argentina)
Figure 3. (a, b) Nests of the Green-backed Firecrown Sephanoides sephaniodes: (a) inner cup showing pappi as lining material; (b) nest collected from an urban site, with manufactured cotton in the outer layer. (c, d) Nest of White-sided Hillstar Oreotrochilus leucopleurus: (c) lateral view of nest covered by sheep's wool and feathers (reference in cm); (d) upper view, the cup opening is hardly noticeable due to soft materials present. Photographs: the authors.
Figure 1. Study area and collections sites. A in Botanical composition and structure of hummingbird nests in different habitats from northwestern Patagonia (Argentina)
Figure 1. Study area and collections sites. A, Puerto Blest; B, Saltillo las Nalcas; C, Llao-Llao; D, Cascada la Virgen on Route 258; E, northern margin of Lake Moreno; F, downtown Bariloche city; G, Arroyo Verde in Villa Traful; H, Leleque; I, Lake Queñi.
Figure 2 in Botanical composition and structure of hummingbird nests in different habitats from northwestern Patagonia (Argentina)
Figure 2. Nests of the Green-backed Firecrown Sephanoides sephaniodes. (a) Incubating female sitting in a nest camouflaged in a dense bamboo thicket; (b) upper view of an active nest; (c) nest showing lateral attachment to substrate, and pieces of bamboo leaves in the outer layer; (d) bulky nest built on a pre-existent cup. Photographs: (a, b) L. Sympson; (c, d) the authors.
Interspecific hybridization explains rapid gorget color divergence in Heliodoxa hummingbirds (Aves: Trochilidae)
Hybridization is a known source of morphological, functional, and communicative signal novelty in many organisms. Although diverse mechanisms of established novel ornamentation have been identified in natural populations, we lack an understanding of hybridization effects across levels of biological scales and upon phylogenies. Hummingbirds display diverse structural colors resulting from coherent light scattering by feather nanostructures. Given the complex relationship between feather nanostructures and the colors they produce, intermediate coloration does not necessarily imply intermediate nanostructures. Here, we characterize nanostructural, ecological, and genetic inputs in a distinctive Heliodoxa hummingbird from the foothills of eastern Peru. Genetically, this individual is closely allied with Heliodoxa branickii and H. gularis, but it is not identical to either when nuclear data are assessed. Elevated interspecific heterozygosity further suggests it is a hybrid backcross to H. branickii. Electron microscopy and spectrophotometry of this unique individual reveal key nanostructural differences underlying its distinct gorget color, confirmed by optical modeling. Phylogenetic comparative analysis suggests that the observed gorget coloration divergence from both parentals to this individual would take 6.6–10 My to evolve at the current rate within a single hummingbird lineage. These results emphasize the mosaic nature of hybridization and suggest that hybridization may contribute to the structural color diversity found across hummingbirds.
Hummingbird blood traits track oxygen availability across space and time
<p>Predictable trait variation across environments suggests shared adaptive responses via repeated genetic evolution, phenotypic plasticity, or both. Matching of trait-environment associations at phylogenetic and individual scales implies consistency between these processes. Alternatively, mismatch implies that evolutionary divergence has changed the rules of trait-environment covariation. Here we tested whether species adaptation alters elevational variation in blood traits. We measured blood for 1,217 Andean hummingbirds of 77 species across a 4,600 m elevational gradient. Unexpectedly, elevational variation in hemoglobin concentration ([Hb]) was scale independent, suggesting that physics of gas exchange, rather than species differences, determine responses to changing oxygen pressure. However, mechanisms of [Hb] adjustment did show signals of species adaptation: Species at either low or high elevations adjusted cell size, whereas species at mid-elevations adjusted cell number. This elevational variation in red blood cell number-versus-size suggests that genetic adaptation to high altitude has changed how these traits respond to shifts in oxygen availability.</p>
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.