Female in-nest chatter song increases predation

Biology Letters
Sonia KleindorferKatharina Mahr

Abstract

Female song is an ancestral trait in songbirds, yet extant females generally sing less than males. Here, we examine sex differences in the predation cost of singing behaviour. The superb fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus) is a Southern Hemisphere songbird; males and females provision the brood and produce solo song year-round. Both sexes had higher song rate during the fertile period and lower song rate during incubation and chick feeding. Females were more likely than males to sing close to or inside the nest. For this reason, female but not male song rate predicted egg and nestling predation. This study identifies a high fitness cost of song when a parent bird attends offspring inside a nest and explains gender differences in singing when there are gender differences in parental care.

Associated Datasets

Dec 11, 2015·Sonia KleindorferChristine Evans

References

Jun 17, 2006·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Andrew Cockburn
Nov 17, 2006·The American Naturalist·J J Fontaine, T E Martin
May 18, 2012·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Emma I GreigStephen Pruett-Jones
Nov 13, 2012·Current Biology : CB·Diane Colombelli-NégrelSonia Kleindorfer
May 23, 2013·Frontiers in Zoology·Sonia KleindorferHerbert Hoi
Mar 7, 2014·Nature Communications·Karan J OdomNaomi E Langmore
May 9, 2014·Biology Letters·Sonia KleindorferDiane Colombelli-Négrel
Oct 31, 2014·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Diane Colombelli-NégrelSonia Kleindorfer

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Citations

Dec 1, 2017·Nature Ecology & Evolution·Wei Liang
Aug 18, 2017·Biology Letters·Diane Colombelli-Négrel, Sonia Kleindorfer
Apr 3, 2021·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Victoria I AustinJustin A Welbergen

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