Figure 2

Variable importance from random forest analyses. All variables included in the model are shown listed from top to bottom in order of importance. Variables are the pairwise contact rate (as defined in the text) between the two taxa listed. A variable’s importance is determined by the decrease in the predictive accuracy of the model when that variable is permuted. Waders include all water-associated birds excluding Anseriformes and Charadriformes (shorebirds). Other land birds include all terrestrial birds excluding Passeriformes, Columbiformes and Galliformes and Village Weavers.