Ornithological data

Ornithological data are collected in many different ways, and provide information on important aspects of animal behavior and demography, such as natural selection, movement and migration, memory, fecundity, mate selection, and survival. Birds reflect changes to the environment due for example to global warming or modifications in farming practices, and their scientific study is of clear importance, especially for conservation. Ornithological data may be collected as part of controlled scientific experiments, or may arise through the efforts of large teams of amateur volunteers. The latter is the case for large-scale surveys, which are often characterized by problems of missing data. This article focuses on observational, rather than experimental, data.