Effects of individual-based preferences for colour-banded mates on sex allocation in zebra finches

Zitan Song, Yao Liu, Isobel Booksmythe and Changqing Ding

Behavioral Ecology, 2017, vol. 28, issue 5, 1228-1235

Abstract: Lay SummaryStudies of colour-banded zebra finches have provided mixed support for the hypothesis that females paired with attractive males will produce more sons. Variation in female mate preferences could help to explain the conflicting patterns seen in previous studies. In our experiment, females varied in their preferences for males’ colour-bands. Females mated to males of their preference produced male-biased brood sex ratios at fledging, while the specific colour of male colour-bands did not affect offspring sex.

Keywords: cage experiment; male attractiveness; preference; resource allocation; sex allocation; Taeniopygia guttata; zebra finch (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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