Abstract
Since 1980, we have documented three definite and five suspected instances of sexually selected infanticide by unmated males in the monogamous barn swallow, Hirundo rustica. This is the first report of this type of infanticide by males in any bird species, or by either sex in any monogamous species. In our population, infanticide appears to be an adaptation serving two functions. It speeds the reproductive cycle of victimized females so that males can breed with them sooner than if they had been permitted to raise their young. In addition, it may enable unmated males to acquire females by causing them to desert their mates.
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