Female ornamentation is associated with elevated aggression and testosterone in a tropical songbird

Erik D Enbody, Jordan Boersma, Hubert Schwabl and Jordan Karubian

Behavioral Ecology, 2018, vol. 29, issue 5, 1056-1066

Abstract: Relationships between testosterone, ornamentation, and aggression are relatively well resolved in males, but what about females? The White-shouldered Fairywren provides a useful context to address this question because female plumage varies across populations, whereas males are uniform. Females with elaborate plumage are more aggressive than dull females and also have elevated concentrations of testosterone. These relationships differ from those of males, consistent with selection on female ornamentation, likely for purposes of social competition.

Keywords: aggression; bird; female ornamentation; integrated phenotype; passerine; testosterone (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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