Species Of Fairy-wrens Research Articles

Ecogeography of group size suggests differences in drivers of sociality among cooperatively breeding fairywrens.

Cooperatively breeding species exhibit a range of social behaviours associated with different costs and benefits to group living, often in association with different environmental conditions. For example, recent phylogenetic studies have collectively shown that the evolution and distribution of cooperative breeding behaviour is related to the environment. However, little is known about how environmental variation may drive differences in social systems across populations within species, and how the relationship between environmental conditions and sociality may differ across species. Here, we examine variation in social group size along a steep environmental gradient for two congeneric cooperatively breeding species of fairywrens (Maluridae) and show that they exhibit opposing ecogeographic patterns. Purple-backed fairywrens, a species in which helpers increase group productivity, have larger groups in hot, dry environments and smaller groups in cool, wet environments. By contrast, superb fairywrens, a species with helpers that do not increase group productivity despite the presence of alloparental care, exhibit the opposite trend. We suggest differences in the costs and benefits of sociality contribute to these opposing ecogeographical patterns and demonstrate that comparisons of intraspecific patterns of social variation across species can provide insight into how ecology shapes social systems.

First recorded evidence of ejection of a cuckoo egg in a fairy-wren species

Brood-parasitic cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, abandoning parental care to their hosts. Many host species have evolved defences to escape or reduce the costs associated with cuckoo parasitism. Superb Fairy-wrens Malurus cyaneus, which are a host to several cuckoo species in Australia, can distinguish cuckoo eggs based on their size or shape, or by using indirect cues such as the timing of egg laying or the presence of an adult cuckoo near the nest. They have previously been shown to reject cuckoo eggs by methods of egg burial or abandonment. These methods are likely to be costlier than ejecting the cuckoo egg from the nest (as seen in some other host species), because of the complete failure of the reproductive attempt, in addition to the costs associated with renesting. In this study, we document with photograph and video footage an incident of a Fan-tailed Cuckoo Cacomantis flabelliformis parasitising a nest of a Superb Fairy-wren in the Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra. Shortly after the parasitism event occurred, we recorded the female Fairywren returning to the nest and ejecting the single Cuckoo egg. To our knowledge, this footage represents the first evidence of ejection of a cuckoo egg in this species.

Genome of an iconic Australian bird: High-quality assembly and linkage map of the superb fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus).

The superb fairy-wren, Malurus cyaneus, is one of the most iconic Australian passerine species. This species belongs to an endemic Australasian clade, Meliphagides, which diversified early in the evolution of the oscine passerines. Today, the oscine passerines comprise almost half of all avian species diversity. Despite the rapid increase of available bird genome assemblies, this part of the avian tree has not yet been represented by a high-quality reference. To rectify that, we present the first high-quality genome assembly of a Meliphagides representative: the superb fairy-wren. We combined Illumina shotgun and mate-pair sequences, PacBio long-reads, and a genetic linkage map from an intensively sampled pedigree of a wild population to generate this genome assembly. Of the final assembled 1.07-Gb genome, 975Mb (90.4%) was anchored onto 25 pseudochromosomes resulting in a final superscaffold N50 of 68.11Mb. This high-quality bird genome assembly is one of only a handful which is also accompanied by a genetic map and recombination landscape. In comparison to other pedigree-based bird genetic maps, we find that the fairy-wren genetic map more closely resembles those of Taeniopygia guttata and Parus major maps, unlike the Ficedula albicollis map which more closely resembles that of Gallus gallus. Lastly, we also provide a predictive gene and repeat annotation of the genome assembly. This new high-quality, annotated genome assembly will be an invaluable resource not only regarding the superb fairy-wren species and relatives but also broadly across the avian tree by providing a novel reference point for comparative genomic analyses.

Social organisation and breeding biology of the White-shouldered Fairywren (Malurus alboscapulatus)

ABSTRACTThe White-shouldered Fairywren (Malurus alboscapulatus) is a tropical passerine bird distributed across much of New Guinea. White-shouldered Fairywrens are among few species of fairywren with exclusively tropical distributions and differ from better studied congeners in Australia because subspecies vary by female, but not male, coloration and morphology. As with many bird species in New Guinea, basic demographic, social, morphological, and breeding data are limited. From 2011 to 2018 we documented the basic biology of two subspecies representing extremes of the female ornamentation spectrum. Both subspecies form groups having an even operational sex ratio and appear to breed year-round. Extra-pair paternity occurs in the subspecies with female ornamentation; comparable data are lacking for the subspecies having unornamented females, but the greater scaled cloacal protuberance volume of males suggests similar or higher extra-pair paternity rates. Females of the ornamented subspecies are generally larger than those lacking ornamentation, but exhibit reduced tail lengths, which is thought to serve as a signal of social dominance in other fairywrens. After first achieving adult-like plumage, males and ornamented females retain ornamented plumage year-round; however, only males in the subspecies with unornamented females appear to exhibit delayed plumage maturation. Our discussion highlights similarities and differences between White-shouldered Fairywren life histories and those of better studied Australian Malurus species; we focus on tropical vs. temperate environments and variable female ornamentation, and we identify priorities for future research.

Song recognition and heterospecific associations between 2 fairy-wren species (Maluridae)

Interactions between species can be beneficial to one or both species and such interactions may be facilitated by recognition of group members. Splendid and variegated fairy-wrens often share overlapping, co-defended territories. We show for the first time that these species discriminate among heterospecific individuals. Long-term heterospecific associations are likely more widespread than previously appreciated, and recognition may play a significant role in the maintenance and coordination of mixed-species assemblages.

How do novel signals originate? The evolution of fairy-wren songs from predator to display contexts

Revealing the evolutionary origin of novel traits is a long-standing challenge in evolutionary biology. The dynamics of antipredator signalling and conspecific advertisement provide one framework in which to investigate this phenomenon, because shifts in signal context may lead to new signal functions, novel evolutionary pressures and ultimately novel phenotypes. Several species of fairy-wrens (Maluridae: Malurus) give song-like trills (‘Type II song’) in response to vocalizations of avian predators. Despite this predator context, in some species the trills appear to function as conspecific-directed displays. We investigated two hypotheses for the evolutionary origin of predator-elicited Type II songs: (1) they originated as antipredator signals, then shifted to a display context and subsequently became more elaborate because selection pressures changed; or alternatively (2) they originated as conspecific-directed songs, then shifted to a predator context to exploit an effective communication window. Using predator playbacks and samples of natural dawn chorus recordings, we found that many Malurus species gave trills in response to predators, but only a subset gave unprompted trills during dawn chorus displays, and ancestral state reconstructions suggested that the predator-elicited context evolved first. Additionally, species that used trills more often (in both predator and unsolicited contexts) tended to have longer trills with a faster note rate, suggesting that trills have evolved a higher performance as they became a more important part of the display repertoire. Our results support the hypothesis that trill displays originated through the elaboration of predator context calls and provide an example of a shift in signal context leading to novel signal phenotypes.

Offspring sex ratios correlate with pair–male condition in a cooperatively breeding fairy–wren

We examined sex allocation patterns in island and mainland populations of cooperatively breeding white-winged fairy-wrens. The marked differences in social structure between island and mainland populations, in addition to dramatic plumage variation among males both within and between populations, provided a unique situation in which we could investigate different predictions from sex allocation theory in a single species. First, we test the repayment (local resource enhancement) hypothesis by asking whether females biased offspring sex ratios in relation to the assistance they derived from helpers. Second, we test the male quality (attractiveness) hypothesis, which suggests that females mated to attractive high-quality males should bias offspring sex ratios in favor of males. Finally, we test the idea that females in good condition should bias offspring sex ratios toward males because they are able to allocate more resources to offspring, whereas females in poor condition should have increased benefits from producing more female offspring (Trivers-Willard hypothesis). We used molecular sexing techniques to assess total offspring sex ratios of 86 breeding pairs over 2 years. Both offspring and first brood sex ratios were correlated with the pair-male’s body condition such that females increased the proportion of males in their brood in relation to the body condition (mass corrected for body size) of their social partner. This relation was both significant and remarkably similar in both years of our study and in both island and mainland populations. Although confidence of paternity can be low in this and other fairy-wren species, we show how this finding might be consistent with the male quality (attractiveness) hypothesis with respect to male condition. There was no support for the repayment hypothesis; the presence of helpers had no effect on offspring sex ratios. There was weak support for both the male quality (attractiveness) hypothesis with respect to plumage color and the maternal condition hypothesis, but their influence on offspring sex ratios was negligible after controlling for the effects of pair-male condition. Key words: sex allocation, offspring sex ratio, parental condition, cooperative breeding, plumage coloration. [BehavEcol]

Estimates of extreme sperm production: morphological and experimental evidence from reproductively promiscuous fairy-wrens ( Malurus)

When females mate multiply, the competition among males for fertilizations occurs cryptically within the reproductive tract of the female. Under such sperm competition, the amount of spermatogenic tissue, the efficiency of sperm production and the capacity for sperm storage should all be under strong selection. Males of several species of fairy-wrens ( Malurus) have been found to store large numbers of sperm for ejaculation, a suggested adaptation to male-biased sex ratios and high levels of reproductive promiscuity. In this study we examined the histology of testes of three species of fairy-wren: the splendid, Malurus splendens melanotus, variegated, M. lamberti assimilis, and white-winged fairy-wren, M. leucopterus leuconotus, as well as the quantity and quality (viability) of sperm in captive male splendid fairy-wrens to estimate the temporal pattern of sperm production and depletion. The daily rates of sperm production in all three species were high: 306×10 6 sperm/ day for splendid, 125×10 6 sperm/ day for variegated and 204×10 6 sperm/ day for white-winged fairy-wrens, and the efficiency of sperm production (sperm per day per g of body mass) was several orders of magnitude greater than values reported for other domestic and wild species. For splendid fairy-wrens, the estimates of sperm production varied with the method used for estimation (range of estimates 306×10 6–1367×10 6 sperm/ day ). Splendid fairy-wren males held in captivity replenished their sperm reserves within 12 h, which is faster than that reported for most other species thus far. There was a negative correlation between length of sampling interval and the proportion of live sperm in ejaculate samples, indicating that males that copulate more frequently have higher-quality ejaculates. Together, both experimental and morphological estimates suggest that all three species of fairy-wren invest considerable energy in the production as well as the storage of massive numbers of sperm. Intra- and interspecific variation in the rates of sperm production is most likely linked to differences in the operational sex ratios of social groups and the opportunity for extragroup parentage.

Use of space, foraging behaviour and strategies of survival among three coexisting species of fairy-wrens (Malurus)

Superb, Malurus cyaneus, White-winged, M. leucopterus, and Variegated, M. lamberti, Fairy-wrens coexisting in a semi-arid environment at Booligal, New South Wales, partitioned their use of space. During drought, territories overlapped more than in good years. White-winged Fairy-wrens spent the most time sitting, showed the highest preference for sitting in bushes and allopreened the most. Superb Fairy-wrens foraged the most on the ground, moved up and down to different foraging stations the most rapidly and had the widest variety of foraging stations. White-winged Fairy-wrens foraged mostly on the outer parts of bushes; Variegated Fairy-wrens foraged on the innermost parts of bushes and spent the longest at a foraging station. White-winged Fairy-wrens flew the furthest to a new foraging site. When niche breadths for macrohabitat, foraging heights and foraging stations were represented on orthogonal axes, Variegated Fairy-wrens and White-winged Fairy-wrens are more alike in their use of space than either is to Superb Fairy-wrens and the greatest distance is between Superb and Variegated Fairy-wrens. In terms of survival strategies, Superb Fairy-wrens are ‘opportunists’, White-winged Fairy-wrens are ‘coasters’ and Variegated Fairy-wrens are ‘stayers’.

Breeding biology and social structure of White-winged Fairy-wrens (Malurus leucopterus): comparison between island and mainland subspecies having different plumage phenotypes

White-winged Fairy-wrens have a clan mating system wherein up to three cooperative breeding groups (breeding pair plus any helpers) are contained within the larger territory of a nuptial-plumaged male who also has a mate (likely with helpers). Nuptial-plumaged males of island and mainland subspecies have different plumage phenotypes: in the mainland Australian suspecies (Malurus leucopterus leuconotus) nuptial males are blue with white wings, whereas in the subspecies on Dirk Hartog (M. l. leucopterus) and Barrow (M. l. edouardi) Islands males are black with white wings. Here, we compare island and mainland populations of White-winged Fairy-wrens in morphology, breeding biology and social behaviour based on data collected over two breeding seasons on Dirk Hartog Island and near Lancelin, Western Australia, on the mainland. In addition to the colour differences of the nuptial males, mainland males and females were significantly larger than their counterparts on the island and mainland birds had significantly higher realised reproductive success. Pairs on Dirk Hartog Island had significantly smaller clutches, longer incubation periods, decreased hatching success, and fledged fewer offspring. Moreover, most mainland pairs had 1–4 helpers at their nests, whereas island pairs had few, if any, helpers at their nest. Thus island birds could be characterised as largely socially monogamous, whereas mainland birds were mainly cooperative breeders. We discuss morphological differences in relation to general island-mainland patterns of avian body size and relate island-mainland differences in reproductive success and social behaviour to research on parental care and sexual selection in other fairy-wren species.

A Comparison of Songs from Four Species of Fairy-wrens (Malurus)

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Factors Affecting Territory Establishment, Size and Use by Three Co-existing Species of Fairy-wrens (Malurus)

Superb Maluncs cyaneus, Variegated M. lamberti and White-winged M. leucoptem Fairy-wrens co-existed at Booligal, New South Wales, where their temtories overlapped but very few interspecific interactions were observed. Temtories were established and maintained by song and less often chases between males. During nesting, the area utilised by the fairy-wrens was smaller than that established earlier. Areas that were grazed heavily were occupied less, especially by Superb Fairy- wrens. Fairy-wrens enlarged their temtories during drought. Size of a temtory correlated positively generally with the number of bushes contained within it except during drought. Temtory size correlated negatively with insect abundance for Superb and White-winged Fairy-wrens only and with the number of groups of each species except where vegetation was patchy. I suggest that temtory quality can be described best in terms of food availability, and for gleaning insectivores this may depend on the foraging area available.

A Test for Character Displacement Among Three Species of Fairy-wrens (Maluridae: Malurus)

SummaryTidemann, S.C. & Schodde, R. (1989). A test for character displacement among three species of fairy-wrens (Maluridae: Malurus) Emu 89, 79–82.Lengths of tarsus and wing, and bill dimensions, of museum specimens of Superb Malurus cyaneus, Variegated M. lamberti and White-winged Fairy-wrens M. leucopterus from all parts of their ranges (except Tasmania) were measured. Wing length of Superb Fairy-wrens increased progressively southwards: no other character measurements differed between sexes or latitudinal zones. In most zones Variegated Fairy-wren males were larger than females. White-winged Fairy-wren measurements of tarsus and bill did not vary between sexes or zones but winglength increased from north to south. No differences consistent with character displacement could be established between zones of allopatry and sympatry for any of the species. Variation in traits appears to be clinal or to have developed in isolation.

Water Turnover and Estimated Food-Consumption in 3 Species of Fairy-Wren (Malurus Spp)

Water influx rates and estimated food consumption rates were determined for adults, juveniles and nestlings of three co-existing species of fairy-wrens: superb (Malurus cyaneus), variegated (M. lamberti) and white-winged (M. leucopterus). There were no significant interspecific differences with respect to water influxes of either juveniles or adults, but variation within species was large. Adults and juveniles had higher water influx values and daily food requirements than nestlings. M. cyaneus nestlings had higher mass-specific water influxes and food intakes than both M. leucopterus and M, lamberti, but the latter two did not differ in these parameters. The higher mortality of M. cyaneus and the requirement for drinking water during hot, dry conditions indicate that the inland distribution and abundance of this species are more constrained by climatic conditions than are populations of M. lamberti and M. leucopterus.

Selection of Nest Sites by Three Species of Fairy-wrens (Malurus)

At Booligal, NSW, Superb Fairy-wrens Malurus cyaneus avoided orienting nest entrances towards the west and White-winged M. leucopterus avoided the south and west. Superb Fairy-wrens favoured the northern sector of bushes and White-winged the north-eastern sector to build nests. There was no relationship between nest position and the number of nests that produced fledglings. Superb Fairy-wrens built nests higher in bushes than White-winged and Variegated Fairy-wrens M. larnbeni. Chenopodium spp. bushes were preferred to others. Superb Fairy-wrens built further into a bush than Variegated and White- winged. There was generally no relationship between bush heights, volumes, distance to closest tree, placement of surrounding bushes and siting of nest. There were no interspecific effects on nest placement and successive nests were not affected by positions of earlier nests. White-winged Fairy-wrens placed their nests more centrally in territories than Superb.