Male songbirds provide indirect parental care by guarding females during incubation
Behavioral Ecology
By: B.C. Fedy and T. E. Martin
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Abstract
Across many taxa, guarding of fertile mates is a widespread tactic that enhances paternity assurance. However, guarding of mates can also occur during the nonfertile period, and the fitness benefits of this behavior are unclear. Male songbirds, for example, sometimes guard nonfertile females during foraging recesses from incubation. We hypothesized that guarding postreproductive mates may have important, but unrecognized, benefits by enhancing female foraging efficiency, thereby increasing time spent incubating eggs. We tested the hypothesis in 2 songbird species by examining female behavior during natural and experimentally induced absences of males. Male absence caused increased vigilance in foraging females that decreased their efficiency and resulted in less time spent incubating eggs. Male guarding of nonfertile females can thus provide a previously unrecognized form of indirect parental care.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Male songbirds provide indirect parental care by guarding females during incubation |
| Series title | Behavioral Ecology |
| DOI | 10.1093/beheco/arp094 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Year Published | 2009 |
| Language | English |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Behavioral Ecology |
| First page | 1034 |
| Last page | 1038 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |