Abstract
Data from 106 species of North American passerines are used to test the hypothesis that an active male role in parental care is correlated with a reduction in sexual size dimorphism. The data show a negative correlation between an index of the male's involvment in parental care and the ratio of mean male length to mean female length (or wing length ratio). When polygynous or promiscuous species are excluded from the analysis, a similar negative correlation is still found. The results support models suggesting that sexual selection for increased male size is balanced by energetic constraints, including those imposed by paternal care.
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