Individual and temporal variability in the courtship behavior of White-ruffed Manakins (Corapipo altera), a species with facultative cooperative displays

Abstract

ABSTRACT Investigation of the ecological and evolutionary basis for the often-intriguing courtship behavior of animals requires that we understand the patterns of variation inherent in such behaviors. The courtship displays of the White-ruffed Manakin (Corapipo altera) are not well-known, and previously published descriptions and interpretations of displays conflict with one another. We studied the reproductive behavior of C. altera during 6 breeding seasons, observing 72 display courts (mean 29 ± 2.5 courts annually) for a total of 2688 hr. We updated the behavioral characterization of C. altera by reconciling 8 previous ethologies and describing 2 new behavioral elements, vouchering all with audio and video recordings. We evaluated evidence for the occurrence of male–male cooperation and characterized the physical attributes and temporal dynamics of displays and display courts. We found strong evidence of cooperation among males; 32% of displays for females were highly coordinated displays performed by ...