AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

The High Frequency of Extra-Pair Paternity in Tree Swallows Is Not an Artifact of Nestboxes

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:1996
Authors:Barber, CA, Robertson, RJ, Boag, PT
Journal:Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Volume:38
Issue:6
Date Published:1996
ISBN Number:03405443
Keywords:Hirundinidae, Hirundo, Hirundo rustica, Tachycineta, Tachycineta bicolor
Abstract:A common criticism of nestbox studies is one of creating artificial nesting conditions and breeding behavior different from what would be seen under natural conditions. We assessed the frequency of extra-pair paternity (percentage of broods with at least one extra-pair young) in 25 families of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) nesting in natural cavities and compared it to that in a nestbox population. We found that 84% of females nesting in natural cavities obtained fertilizations from extra-pair males. These extra-pair males fathered 69% of all nestlings. Studies of tree swallows breeding in nestboxes have shown that 50-87% of broods contained extra-pair young, with extra-pair males fathering 38-53% of all the young. In broods with extra-pair paternity, natural cavities contained a significantly greater proportion of extra-pair young than did nestboxes. Despite differences in nesting habitat and female age structure, the frequency of extra-pair paternity did not differ significantly between the natural-cavity and nestbox populations. Therefore, the presence of extra-pair paternity in tree swallows is not an artifact of nestboxes or of artificial nesting conditions.
URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/4601225
Short Title:Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith