Low level of extra-pair paternity in an urban population of blackbirds

Abstract

We studied extra-pair paternity in a socially monogamous bird, the European Blackbird (Turdus merula). The research was conducted in an urban park in Poland. We obtained genetic samples from 36 broods (123 nestlings) of 21 unique pairs. The proportion of broods with some extra-pair nestlings was 17.1% (6 broods), and overall, 13.1% (16 nestlings) of all nestlings were sired by extra-pair males. In one brood (2.8% of all the investigated broods), we found one egg laid by a female which did not have her own territory in the study area (brood parasitism). These figures are relatively low compared to other closely related passerines. We suggest that mate guarding in the studied population may effectively prevent females from engaging in extra-pair activity, and in the case of females, divorce and serial polygamy are better strategies for enhancing the genetic quality and genetic diversity of their offspring than infidelity.