MATE GUARDING IN THE MAGPIE-LARK
| Posted: |
29/07/2021 |
| Author(s): |
Alan Lill, Vanessa Neill |
Socially monogamous Magpie-larks
Grallina cyanoleuca were studied to evaluate whether the potential for sperm
competition was reduced by mate guarding or frequent copulation with the mate. Breeding among nearby pairs was
sufficiently asynchronous to generate opportunities for extra-pair copulations, but frequent intra-pair copulation was
not evident. The mean intra-pair and pair-to-nest distances were significantly smaller in the female's fertile period
than at other times in the breeding cycle. Males were significantly more likely than females to both pursue and
approach their mate, particularly during the fertile period, and thereby maintain or reduce the intra-pair distance.
Males thus regulated the intra-pair distance. Eighty-three per cent of territorial intrusions by conspecifics elicited
aggressive approaches by the paired, territorial male. Intrusions did not elicit male aggression significantly more often
during the female's fertile period, but they did cause an immediate reduction in the intra-pair distance more frequently
at this time. Collectively these observations suggest that male Magpie-larks exhibited mate guarding with the potential
to reduce the chance of cuckoldry. Some alternative explanations for the behavioural trends observed are reviewed
and considered less likely.
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