Female choice for age-specific plumage in the orchard oriole: implications for delayed plumage maturation

Enstrom, David A.

doi:10.1006/anbe.1993.1055

Cited by 45 publications

(21 citation statements)

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“…This explanation may be more consistent with our results than improving experience, as a large number of individuals produce no returning young despite breeding several times during their lives (also see Gustafsson 1989;Blums and Clark 2004). Females of many species apparently prefer older males (Enstrom 1993;Richardson and Burke 1999), or traits that indicate the expected lifespan of males (Jennions et al 2001), thereby often enhancing the quality of young they produce (Saetre et al 1995;Hegyi et al 2006b). In addition, females may also invest preferentially in such offspring (Burley 1986;de Lope and Møller 1993), which may further increase their mate's reproductive success.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Lifetime offspring production in relation to breeding lifespan, attractiveness, and mating status in male collared flycatchers

et al. 2012

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As a comprehensive fitness parameter, lifetime reproductive success (LRS) is influenced by many different environmental and genetic factors, among which longevity is one of the most important. These factors can be reflected in secondary sexual characters, which may affect the life histories of individuals via social relations with conspecifics. Facultative polygyny in birds is another conspicuous reproductive trait that potentially increases male reproductive success, but lifetime success data in relation to polygyny are scarce. Here, we used 17 years of breeding data to quantify the LRS of male collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis) on the basis of lifetime recruitment of offspring. Breeding lifespan showed a positive relationship with LRS, and it was also significantly associated with mean recruitment of offspring per breeding year. Body size and sexually selected forehead patch size did not predict the number of recruits. Polygyny was positively associated with LRS, but when we corrected for lifespan, this relationship disappeared. Our results demonstrate that the relationship between longevity and LRS is not explained by the higher number of reproductive attempts when living longer, and question the adaptive value of polygyny in this population. The lack of association between forehead patch size and recruitment suggests that forehead patch is a poor indicator of phenotypic quality in our birds.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Lifetime offspring production in relation to breeding lifespan, attractiveness, and mating status in male collared flycatchers

et al. 2012

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“…Relative time spent in social contact is a widely used measure of avian mate preference reported for species from several avian families (Andersson 1994); a correspondence between the relative social time spent in a mate choice apparatus and pairing patterns observed under semi‐natural or natural conditions has been established for a subset of these species (e.g. Burley 1986; Enstrom 1993; Calkins 2000). Female budgerigars are socially dominant to males generally (Trillmich 1976), and can be quite aggressive to them.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Male Vocal Learning on Female Behavior in the Budgerigar, Melopsittacus undulatus

et al. 2005

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Parrots are unusual among birds and animals in general in the extent of their ability to learn new vocalizations throughout life and irrespective of season. The budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus), a small parrot that is well suited for laboratory studies, has been the subject of numerous studies investigating the neurobiology of vocal learning. To date, few studies have focused on the function of vocal imitation by parrots. Previous work from our research group has shown that vocal imitation in budgerigars is sex-biased, as males paired with females learn vocalizations from their new mates, but not vice versa. This bias led us to hypothesize that vocal learning has a reproductive function. To test this hypothesis, we conducted two experiments. In the first experiment, we tutored males so that they could produce a call similar to one shared by a group of experimental females. The experimental females were then presented with one of the tutored males and another, equally unfamiliar, male that had not been tutored. We found that the females spent a greater proportion of time in proximity of, and made more affiliative displays toward, the tutored males. In the second experiment, seven males received small bilateral brain lesions that disrupt vocal learning. These males and an equal number of control males were then released into an aviary containing females and reproductive resources. We found that lesioned and control males were equally successful in obtaining social mates, but females mated to lesioned males were more likely to engage in extra-pair activities. These experiments indicate that a male's ability to imitate a female's call can influence the sexual behavior of the female even though lack of imitation ability does not appear to influence social pairing. We hypothesize that mate choice in budgerigars has multiple stages. Upon meeting a strange male, a female quickly assesses its ability for social acquisition of calls by the presence or absence of a call type similar to its own in its repertoire. As courtship proceeds into pair formation, the female assesses the ability of male to learn more directly by the extent of the male's perfection of imitation. Ethology 111, 901-923 (2005)

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“…First‐year male great‐tailed grackles ( Quiscalus mexicanus ) (Rohwer et al , 1980) and lazuli buntings ( Passerina amoena ) (Rohwer et al , 1980; Muehter, Greene & Ratcliffe, 1997; Greene et al , 2000) typically have distinct subadult plumages that are similar to those of adult males in definitive plumage. First‐year male orchard orioles ( Icterus spurious ) have a subadult plumage that is distinct from either males or females in definitive plumage (Enstrom, 1992 a , b , 1993).…”

Section: Definition Of Delayed Plumage Maturationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delayed plumage maturation and delayed reproductive investment in birds

Hawkins¹,

2011

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Delayed plumage maturation is the delayed acquisition of a definitive colour and pattern of plumage until after the first potential breeding period in birds. Here we provide a comprehensive overview of the numerous studies of delayed plumage maturation and a revised theoretical framework for understanding the function of delayed plumage maturation in all birds. We first distinguish between hypotheses that delayed plumage maturation is attributable to a moult constraint with no adaptive function and hypotheses that propose that delayed plumage maturation is a component of an adaptive life-history strategy associated with delayed reproductive investment. We then recognize three potential benefits of delayed plumage maturation: crypsis, mimicry and status signaling. Evidence suggests that delayed plumage maturation is not a consequence of developmental constraints and instead represents a strategy to maximize reproductive success in circumstances where young adults cannot effectively compete with older adults for limited resources, particularly breeding opportunities. A multi-factorial explanation that takes into account lifespan and the degree of competition for limited breeding resources and that combines the benefits of an inconspicuous appearance with the benefits of honest signaling of reduced competitiveness provides a general explanation for the function of delayed plumage maturation in most bird species. Delayed plumage maturation should be viewed as a component of alternative reproductive strategies that can include delay in both plumage and sexual development. Such strategies are frequently facultative, with individuals breeding prior to the acquisition of definitive plumages when conditions are favourable. Presumably, the benefits of delayed plumage maturation ultimately enhance lifetime reproductive success, and studying delayed plumage maturation within the context of lifetime reproductive success should be a goal of future studies.

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Female choice for age-specific plumage in the orchard oriole: implications for delayed plumage maturation

Cited by 45 publications

References 0 publications

Lifetime offspring production in relation to breeding lifespan, attractiveness, and mating status in male collared flycatchers

Lifetime offspring production in relation to breeding lifespan, attractiveness, and mating status in male collared flycatchers

Effects of Male Vocal Learning on Female Behavior in the Budgerigar, Melopsittacus undulatus

Delayed plumage maturation and delayed reproductive investment in birds

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