Signalling for food and sex? Begging by reproductive female white-throated magpie-jays

Ellis, Jesse M.S.; Langen, Tom A.; Berg, Elena C.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.05.024

Cited by 21 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 52 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Female begging displays include loud vocalizations, body postures and wing fluttering, which closely resemble the begging displays of older nestlings (Ellis et al 2009;Godfray 1991;Harper 1986). The striking similarity of female and nestling begging displays suggests the retention into adulthood in females of typically juvenile behaviours (Moore and Rohwer 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…Females beg to their mates in courtship contexts (Clancy 2005;East 1981;Ellis et al 2009;Otter et al 2007;Tobias and Seddon 2002), while incubating (Ellis 2008;Moore and Rohwer 2012;Tobias and Seddon 2002) and also during the nestling feeding phase before apportioning food to the nestlings (Clancy 2005). Female begging displays include loud vocalizations, body postures and wing fluttering, which closely resemble the begging displays of older nestlings (Ellis et al 2009;Godfray 1991;Harper 1986).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Males respond to female begging signals of need: a handicapping experiment in the pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ABSTRACT. The 'female nutrition' hypothesis proposes that food provided by males during incubation is an important energy source for females in bird species in which females alone incubate. Females should be able to communicate their needs through begging signals to mates and males may compensate for the energetic limitations of females through their feeding visits, owing to their overlapping reproductive interests. To test whether female begging during incubation is an honest signal of energetic need and whether mates respond to it we experimentally handicapped female pied flycatchers at the beginning of incubation by clipping two primary flight feathers on each wing. Experimental manipulation led females to intensify begging displays arising from condition impairment and males accordingly increased their incubation feeding rates.Female begging intensity explained more than half of the variation in male incubation feeding rate, thereby showing that female nutrition is the main factor explaining male incubation feeding. Moreover, handicapped females consumed a higher proportion of male food deliveries during the first few days after hatching and weighed less at the end of the nestling period than control females.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Males respond to female begging signals of need: a handicapping experiment in the pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This is consistent with the fact that nestling nutritional needs are added to the female's needs, and is in agreement with the possibility that a females may use vocalizations to signal their own needs as well as the needs of their offspring (Halkin , Ellis et al . ). Feeding vocal exchanges could thus play a role in the communication between mates to organize parental care.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Interactive vocal communication at the nest by parent Great TitsParus major

Boucaud

Valère

Smith

et al. 2016

Ibis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although most bird species show monogamous pair bonds and bi‐parental care, little is known of how mated birds coordinate their activities. Whether or not partners communicate with each other to adjust their behaviour remains an open question. During incubation and the first days after hatching, one parent – generally the female – stays in the nest for extended periods, and might depend on acoustic communication to exchange information with its mate outside. The Great Tit Parus major is an interesting study system to investigate intra‐pair communication at the nest because males address songs to their mate while she is in the nest cavity, and females answer the male from the cavity with calls. However, the function of this communication remains unknown. In this study, we recorded the vocalizations and observed the resulting behaviour of Great Tit pairs around the nest at different breeding stages (laying, incubation and chick‐rearing). We observed vocal exchanges (vocalization bouts, alternated on the same tempo, between the female inside the nest and her male outside) in three contexts with different outcomes: (1) the female left the nest, (2) the male entered the box with food, and the female then used specific call types, (3) mates stopped calling but did not leave or enter the nest. The structure of vocal exchanges was globally stable between contexts, but females used calls with an up‐shifted spectrum during exchanges, at the end of which they left the nest or the male entered the nest. Birds vocalized more and at higher tempo during exchanges that ended up in feeding inside the nest. Birds also vocalized more during exchanges taking place during laying – a period of active mate guarding – than during incubation. We conclude that vocal exchanges could signal the females’ need for food and the males’ mate guarding behaviour, and discuss other possible functions of this communication.

show abstract

“…Begging calls by adult females before and during the breeding period occurs in a variety of species [ 6 , 9 , 23 ]. During the pre-laying and incubation stages evidence suggests that female calls signal both fertility to potential extra-pair partners and their nutritional need [ 6 , 9 , 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female begging calls reflect nutritional need of nestlings in the hen harrier Circus cyaneus

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundMost birds exhibit bi-parental care with both sexes providing food for their young. Nestling signal food needs through begging. However, for some species, males rarely visit the nest, so have limited opportunity for gaining information directly from the chicks. Instead, females beg when males deliver food. We tested whether this calling signalled nutritional need and specifically the needs of the female (Breeder Need hypothesis) or that of their chicks (Offspring Need hypothesis).ResultsWe observed begging and provisioning rates at 42 nests of hen harrier (Circus cyaneus) in Scotland, explored the factors associated with variation in begging rate and the relationship between begging and provisioning. We also tested the impact of food on begging and provisioning through a feeding experiment. Female begging rate increased up to a chick age of 3 weeks and then tailed off. In addition, begging increased when broods were large.ConclusionsOur data provided support for the Offspring Need hypothesis. At nests where adlib food was provided females reduced their begging rate. These patterns suggested that female begging was an honest signal of need. However, begging continued even with adlib food and was only weakly associated with greater provisioning by males, suggesting that these calls may also play an additional role, possibly reflecting sexual or parent-offspring conflict.

show abstract

Signalling for food and sex? Begging by reproductive female white-throated magpie-jays

Cited by 21 publications

References 52 publications

Males respond to female begging signals of need: a handicapping experiment in the pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca

Males respond to female begging signals of need: a handicapping experiment in the pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca

Interactive vocal communication at the nest by parent Great TitsParus major

Female begging calls reflect nutritional need of nestlings in the hen harrier Circus cyaneus

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About