Anthropogenic modifications of Earth threaten global biodiversity. In a world where human activity is omnipresent, correct behavioral adjustments are important for successful wildlife–human coexistence. Frequent escape responses are costly, both directly (there are physiological costs) and indirectly (through the loss of feeding opportunities) and it seems correct adjustments of a level of tolerance of animals towards humans is one of mechanisms which may be key for wildlife−human coexistence. However, animal species largely differ in their ability to tolerate human disturbance; escape adjustments and decisions of animals are affected by and mediated through numerous factors, including their life-history and environmental traits.

Fear behavior and escape distances of birds have been studied from many perspectives, and there is currently a large and growing literature on this topic. Flight Initiation Distance is a key metric used to quantify avian responses to humans. Most FID studies have focused on Europe, North America and south-eastern Australia, leaving a large portion of global variance in the level of tolerance toward humans unexplained. We aim to overcome this limitation by collating global FID data and creating an open source dataset that can be used to study birds around the world.