Abstract
The long-lived greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is famous for performing conspicuous group displays during which adults try to acquire a new mate each year with varying success. We examined variation in the sexual display complexity (SDC) of wild flamingos aged between 4 and 37 yrs. SDC was defined as the product of richness (the number of different display movements) and versatility (the number of transitions between movements) within a 5 min behavioral sequence. In both sexes, date in the pairing season had a linear and positive effect on SDC, whereas age had a quadratic effect, with SDC increasing until about age 20yrs, and declining afterwards. SDC better explained pairing patterns than age, and positively influenced the probability of becoming a breeder. Our results thus support the idea that SDC is an honest signal of individual quality and further suggest that senescence in display could be an overlooked aspect of reproductive decline in species with no or weak pair bonding.
Highlights
Components of the display and the signaling value of each one (e.g.17,18)
Complex displays can be observed in species with mutual mate choice, among socially monogamous bird species[25,26,27,28,29]
The display repertoire of flamingos remains limited in size, such that it can be reasonably used to quantify SDC34, defined here as the product of display richness by display versatility
Summary
Components of the display and the signaling value of each one (e.g.17,18). To the best of our knowledge, no empirical study to date has quantified SDC and related it to individual characteristics or fitness consequences. The species is socially monogamous, it is characterized by the total absence of long-term pair bonding, with all pairs divorcing systematically between two consecutive breeding seasons[35] This means that all sexually mature individuals must invest each year in group displays in order to find a new mate and be able to breed. Carotenoid-based plumage is dependent on diet (as birds cannot synthesize carotenoids de novo), and is thought to reflect current condition, whereas melanin-based plumage is synthesized as a by-product of amino-acid catabolism, is under genetic control, and is likely to reflect genetic quality of individuals[1] Such ornaments may act to enhance the apparent skill and vigor of individual motor performance during group displays[6]. We provide for the first time evidence for a quadratic age effect on SDC, suggestive of early improvement and senescence, assortative mating for SDC among pairs of greater flamingos, and a positive influence of SDC on the probability of becoming a breeding individual
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