The weight of female-built nests correlates with female but not male quality in the Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus.

Lancaster Environment Centre

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Published

Standard

The weight of female-built nests correlates with female but not male quality in the Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus. / Mainwaring, Mark C.; Benskin, Clare ; Hartley, Ian R.
In: Acta Ornithologica, Vol. 43, No. 1, 2008, p. 43-48.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Mainwaring, MC , Benskin, C & Hartley, IR 2008, 'The weight of female-built nests correlates with female but not male quality in the Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus.', Acta Ornithologica, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 43-48. https://doi.org/10.3161/000164508X345310

APA

Mainwaring, M. C., Benskin, C., & Hartley, I. R. (2008). The weight of female-built nests correlates with female but not male quality in the Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus. Acta Ornithologica, 43(1), 43-48. https://doi.org/10.3161/000164508X345310

Vancouver

Mainwaring MC , Benskin C , Hartley IR. The weight of female-built nests correlates with female but not male quality in the Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus. Acta Ornithologica. 2008;43(1):43-48. doi: 10.3161/000164508X345310

Author

Mainwaring, Mark C. ; Benskin, Clare ; Hartley, Ian R. / The weight of female-built nests correlates with female but not male quality in the Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus. In: Acta Ornithologica. 2008 ; Vol. 43, No. 1. pp. 43-48.

Bibtex

@article{192c3e070d4045dc98040d705eeba26f,

title = "The weight of female-built nests correlates with female but not male quality in the Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus.",

abstract = "Among bird species where only one parent constructs the nest, the {"}sexual display hypothesis{"} predicts that building behaviour and the structure of the completed nest is a post-pairing, sexually selected signal that informs the non-builder of her/his partner's quality and/or willingness to invest in reproduction, Moreover, the {"}differential allocation hypothesis{"} predicts that an individual's investment in parental behaviours, such as nest building, will vary in relation to the partner's quality. These hypotheses were examined in the socially monogamous, hole-breeding Blue Tit, a species in which the female alone builds nests. Parental quality was quantified by recording body size, feather mite load and age. The weight of nests was found to correlate positively with female head-bill length and feather mite load, but not with any indicators of male quality This result is in accordance with the {"}sexual display{"} hypothesis, and demonstrates that nest size Could be a form of intra-specific communication that helps inform the non-building partner of the builder's reproductive quality.",

keywords = "NEST WEIGHT, NEST BUILDING, MATERNAL CONSTRUCTION, SEXUAL DISPLAY HYPOTHESIS, DIFFERENTIAL ALLOCATION HYPOTHESIS, HOLE-BREEDING PASSERINE, BLUE TIT, CYANISTES CAERULEUS",

author = "Mainwaring, {Mark C.} and Clare Benskin and Hartley, {Ian R.}",

year = "2008",

doi = "10.3161/000164508X345310",

language = "English",

volume = "43",

pages = "43--48",

journal = "Acta Ornithologica",

issn = "0001-6454",

publisher = "Polish Academy of Sciences Publishing House",

number = "1",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - The weight of female-built nests correlates with female but not male quality in the Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus.

AU - Mainwaring, Mark C.

AU - Benskin, Clare

AU - Hartley, Ian R.

PY - 2008

Y1 - 2008

N2 - Among bird species where only one parent constructs the nest, the "sexual display hypothesis" predicts that building behaviour and the structure of the completed nest is a post-pairing, sexually selected signal that informs the non-builder of her/his partner's quality and/or willingness to invest in reproduction, Moreover, the "differential allocation hypothesis" predicts that an individual's investment in parental behaviours, such as nest building, will vary in relation to the partner's quality. These hypotheses were examined in the socially monogamous, hole-breeding Blue Tit, a species in which the female alone builds nests. Parental quality was quantified by recording body size, feather mite load and age. The weight of nests was found to correlate positively with female head-bill length and feather mite load, but not with any indicators of male quality This result is in accordance with the "sexual display" hypothesis, and demonstrates that nest size Could be a form of intra-specific communication that helps inform the non-building partner of the builder's reproductive quality.

AB - Among bird species where only one parent constructs the nest, the "sexual display hypothesis" predicts that building behaviour and the structure of the completed nest is a post-pairing, sexually selected signal that informs the non-builder of her/his partner's quality and/or willingness to invest in reproduction, Moreover, the "differential allocation hypothesis" predicts that an individual's investment in parental behaviours, such as nest building, will vary in relation to the partner's quality. These hypotheses were examined in the socially monogamous, hole-breeding Blue Tit, a species in which the female alone builds nests. Parental quality was quantified by recording body size, feather mite load and age. The weight of nests was found to correlate positively with female head-bill length and feather mite load, but not with any indicators of male quality This result is in accordance with the "sexual display" hypothesis, and demonstrates that nest size Could be a form of intra-specific communication that helps inform the non-building partner of the builder's reproductive quality.

KW - NEST WEIGHT

KW - NEST BUILDING

KW - MATERNAL CONSTRUCTION

KW - SEXUAL DISPLAY HYPOTHESIS

KW - DIFFERENTIAL ALLOCATION HYPOTHESIS

KW - HOLE-BREEDING PASSERINE

KW - BLUE TIT

KW - CYANISTES CAERULEUS

U2 - 10.3161/000164508X345310

DO - 10.3161/000164508X345310

M3 - Journal article

VL - 43

SP - 43

EP - 48

JO - Acta Ornithologica

JF - Acta Ornithologica

SN - 0001-6454

IS - 1

ER -

Research

Associated organisational unit

Links

Text available via DOI:

Keywords