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Temporal patterns of territory settlement and detectability in mated and unmated Nightingales Luscinia megarhynchos

Amrhein, V. and Kunc, H. P. and Schmidt, R. and Naguib, M.. (2007) Temporal patterns of territory settlement and detectability in mated and unmated Nightingales Luscinia megarhynchos. The Ibis, Vol. 149, H. 2. pp. 237-244.

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Official URL: http://edoc.unibas.ch/dok/A5251743

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Abstract

In many bird species the sex ratio of adults is male-biased, which is likely to have consequences for the ecology as well as for the conservation of a species. For example, when some males remain unpaired in a population, there should be strong selection on behavioural traits that enhance pairing success. A surplus of males is also likely to have important implications for the interpretation of breeding bird survey data. In our study population of Nightingales Luscinia megarhynchos, about half of the males stayed unpaired, suggesting that the number of males encountered singing was greater than the number of breeding pairs. Furthermore, the detectability (the probability of encountering a male singing) of mated males was only two-thirds that of unmated males when censused in the morning or late in the breeding season. The relative detectability was more similar early in the season and during the twilight periods before sunrise and after sunset. Males that arrived earlier on the breeding grounds were more successful in attracting a mate than males arriving later. Some of the unmated males deserted their territories and prospected areas up to 4000 m distant, whereas others settled on the study site only late in the season and may actually have changed territories. We suggest that adult sex ratios and the time of the census should be taken into account when interpreting the results of breeding bird surveys.
Faculties and Departments:05 Faculty of Science > Departement Umweltwissenschaften > Integrative Biologie > Behavioural Ecology (Amrhein)
UniBasel Contributors:Amrhein, Valentin
Item Type:Article, refereed
Article Subtype:Research Article
Publisher:Blackwell Scientific Publ
ISSN:0019-1019
Note:Publication type according to Uni Basel Research Database: Journal article
Identification Number:
Last Modified:22 Mar 2012 14:24
Deposited On:22 Mar 2012 13:42

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