ISSN:
1439-5444
Keywords:
Key words Adaptive significance
;
Winter pair bond
;
Northen pintail
;
Cost and benefit
;
Feeding and social behavior
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract To test the female-advantage hypothesis that has been proposed to explain the adaptive significance of winter pair bonds in ducks, we examined the feeding and social behaviors of the northern pintail, Anas acuta. The female-advantage hypothesis assumes that male attendance offers paired females the benefits of increased social status and access to food, as well as less harassment from conspecifics, allowing them to spend more time feeding. Paired females dominated unpaired females, but neither time budgets of feeding nor frequency of feeding was significantly different between unpaired and paired females. The female-advantage hypothesis predicts that paired males spend less time feeding because they must closely guard their partners from harassment by male conspecifics. Paired males defended their mates by chasing and pecking the unpaired males. However, both time budgets of feeding and frequency of feeding were significantly higher in paired males than in unpaired males. Unpaired males frequently approached females while swimming. They performed courtship displays, mostly toward unpaired females. Paired males spent more time feeding by saving time and energy in courtship. We consider that the advantage of winter pairing for males comes from having a mate plus having an increase in feeding frequency.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s101640070012
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