The relative importance of male tail length and nuptial plumage on social dominance and mate choice in the red‐backed fairy‐wren Malurus melanocephalus: evidence for the multiple receiver hypothesis

Abstract

Understanding why males of many species exhibit two or more sexual ornaments depends upon identifying both the information conveyed and the intended receiver(s) for each signal. Here we focus on identifying the intended receivers for two sexual signals exhibited by male red‐backed fairy‐wrens Malurus melanocephalus, extent of nuptial plumage and tail length. In doing so we test the multiple receiver hypothesis, which predicts that each trait is directed toward a different type of receiver (e.g., males vs females). Male red‐backed fairy‐wrens in nuptial plumage exhibit reversed sexual dimorphism for tail length in the breeding season, when their tails are significantly shorter than those of females or males in eclipse plumage. Using both aviary‐based experiments and indices of mate choice and social dominance from a natural population, we found that extent of nuptial plumage and age primarily affected female mate choice and that shorter tails were primarily associated with male:male dominance signaling. The field and aviary studies combined are consistent with the multiple receiver hypothesis, in that each trait appears to be directed primarily to a different set of receivers (plumage for females and tail length for males), though each trait may also signal information to the other set of receivers as well. We propose that sexual selection may favor shorter tail lengths in male red‐backed fairy‐wrens through social competition mechanisms.