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We present the complete genome sequences of 11 species of kingbirds. Illumina sequencing was performed on genetic material from wild-caught and museum specimens. The reads were assembled using ade novomethod followed by a finishing step. The raw and assembled data are publicly available via Genbank. 

ABSTRACT Nest sharing by birds, or the phenomenon where multiple individuals of different species contribute genetically and parentally to offspring in a single nest, is a rare form of cooperative breeding that has only occasionally been reported in socially monogamous birds. Here we describe, both behaviorally and genetically, the unique case of two female birds, a western kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis) and a western kingbird × scissor‐tailed flycatcher (T. forficatus) hybrid, simultaneously occupying (and likely co‐incubating eggs in) a single nest. Both females provisioned nestlings, and they did this in two consecutive years (producing four fledglings each year). Genomic data from the females revealed that they were unrelated, and parentage analyses revealed that both females contributed genetically to at least one of the offspring, and at least two fathers were involved. These observations represent the first reported case of nest sharing involving a hybrid individual and the first case within the family Tyrannidae. 

The non-breeding season is an understudied, yet likely critical, period for many species. Understanding species’ resource requirements, and determining when limited resources and increased densities may lead to intraspecific competition and demographic partitioning, may aid species conservation efforts. Monitoring species’ resource requirements during the non-breeding season may be more important in highly modified ecosystems, such as intensive agricultural landscapes, where anthropogenic pressures may further limit resources. The Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) is a rapidly declining avian species that winters in agricultural areas in the southeastern United States, but little is known about their ecology or potential demographic partitioning in this context. To fill these knowledge gaps, we compared multi-scale habitat selection, survival, and space use across age and sex classes of shrikes inhabiting an agricultural landscape in Arkansas, USA. We found that habitat selection differed among demographic classes. Specifically, females preferred areas with more fallow cover, utility wires, and anthropogenic perches, whereas males preferred areas with more agricultural fields and ditches and less soybean cover. However, overall, shrikes exhibited numerous similarities in habitat selection, generally preferring areas with greater developed land cover (within a predominantly agricultural landscape), greater water availability, and taller perches. Despite the observed variability in habitat selection, no differences in apparent seasonal and annual survival rates or home range size existed among groups. However, non-breeding dispersal distance between years differed by age class, with older individuals being more site faithful than younger individuals. We suggest that the demographic habitat partitioning we detected may reflect adaptive differential life history strategies associated with age and sex classes, but further study of habitat selection by Loggerhead Shrikes across seasons and habitat types will help clarify the variation, importance, and potential carry-over effects of non-breeding habitat partitioning.