I've been working on an assignment to develop mathematical models of urban pigeon populations. (As a disclaimer, this is part of a math course, not a biology course). I already understand the mathematics behind this and have developed several plausible models, but I'm at the stage where I need more detailed data in order to validate my models.
It's surprisingly difficult to find accurate population dynamics data for urban pigeons (especially given my inexperience with this kind of a literature search and general "unsophisticated" understanding of biology).
I do have access to some journals (e.g., via my university library, Google Scholar and Amazon.com), but the best resource I've been able to come up with so far is Illinois Birds: A Century of Change (published by the University of Illinois). The books on urban bird populations I've found so far all seem to be targeted to bird watchers (which I'm not).
Is anyone aware of a detailed/accurate data set on population dynamics (either of urban pigeon populations in particular or of urban bird populations in general)?
Answer
You can find population data for lots of species at The Global Population Dynamics Database, which can be used to test and fit population models. When searching for Columbidae (the dove family) I find 16 datasets of different lengths, but none for Columba livia though.
To search and download data you first need to register for a user account.
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