AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

Cache Size in Shrikes Influences Female Mate Choice and Reproductive Success

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:1989
Authors:Yosef, R, Pinshow, B
Journal:The Auk
Volume:106
Issue:3
Date Published:1989
ISBN Number:00048038
Keywords:Israel, Laniidae, Lanius, Lanius borealis, Lanius excubitor, Lanius meridionalis, Lanius pallidirostris
Abstract:Male Northern Shrikes (Lanius excubitor) in Israel create conspicuous caches of impaled prey. We found that cache size increased before the breeding season, peaked when nests were completed and eggs laid, and declined sharply when males fed impalings to mates and young. We hypothesized that cache size reflects the quality of the male and his territory, thereby influencing mate selection. To test this hypothesis, we manipulated cache size of male Northern Shrikes. Male shrikes with experimentally augmented caches mated earlier and sired more offspring than controls, and males without caches remained unpaired and deserted their territories. We concluded that cache size affects mate selection by female Northern Shrikes and that reproductive success is increased in individuals with larger caches.
URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/4087861
Short Title:The Auk
Taxonomic name: 
Laniidae (Birds), Lanius (Birds), Lanius excubitor (Birds), Lanius Excubitor (Birds), Lanius meridionalis (Birds), Lanius meridionalis (Birds), Lanius pallidirostris (Birds), Lanius pallidirostris (Birds)
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith