The relationship between song performance and male quality in snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis)

Abstract

Attracting females is considered to be one of the main functions of bird song. Both the rate and complexity of male song are assumed to be reliable, quality-related cues that may be used by the female when choosing a mate. In this study of the snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) on Svalbard, both these song parameters were considered as possible quality indicators for the female. Owing to the challenging environmental conditions in the High Arctic, a high degree of male effort is probably necessary to successfully raise the clutch. Male song rate and song complexity were therefore predicted to be correlated with early mating, male feeding rate during the female's incubation, male feeding rate during the nestling stage, and the number of fledglings produced. Although song length tended to be positively associated with the number of fledged young, the different song complexity parameters did not show any clear association with the onset of breeding, the male's food provisioning rate, and the number of fledglings. However, the song rate was significantly correlated with early mating, and there was a positive, although not significant, correlation between song rate and the rate at which older chicks were fed by the male. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that females might use male song rate to assess male quality and ability to participate in raising chicks.