Behavior and Social Organization during the Breeding Season in Mionectes oleagineus, a Lekking Flycatcher

The Condor ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 672-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Westcott
Reproduction ◽  
1975 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. E. ROWELL ◽  
A. F. DIXSON

1981 ◽  
Vol 59 (8) ◽  
pp. 1561-1566 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Turner Jr. ◽  
A. Perkins ◽  
J. F. Kirkpatrick

It was the goal of this study to develop a reliable behavioral endpoint for use in studying patterns of reproduction and methods for regulating reproduction in feral horses. Several characteristic stallion behavior patterns associated with harem activities were examined. The only behavior which occurred with high frequency and was readily observable and quantifiable was stallion elimination marking behavior in which stallions marked eliminations (urinations–defecations) of other horses with their own urine and feces. Elimination marking behavior was not exhibited by mares or immature animals and stallions rarely marked eliminations made by immatures. Stallion response to eliminations by mature mares varied markedly with time of year, averaging 93% and 89% in May and June, the peak of the breeding season, and 1% from November through February. Thus, seasonal changes in elimination marking behavior were well correlated with the breeding season. The completeness of the behavior pattern showed an annual pattern similar to that for frequency. The possible significance of this behavior in relation to feral horse social organization and its use as a behavioral correlate in studying reproductive patterns is discussed.


1992 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 93-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang-Hoe KIM ◽  
Satoshi YAMAGISHI ◽  
Pyong-Oh WON

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (12) ◽  
pp. 2931-2937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael H. Ferkin ◽  
Joshua O. Seamon

Olfactory cues play a major role in inter- and intra-sexual agonistic behavior for Microtus pennsylvanicus. We show that seasonal changes in odor preference and behavioral interactions coincide with varying patterns of social organization. Odor preference trials were conducted in a Y maze and social behavior was measured in dyadic encounters in a neutral arena. During the breeding season, paired encounters between females contained more agonistic acts than did encounters between males, or those between males and females. Breeding males preferred the odor of females to the odor of conspecific males. In contrast, breeding females preferred their own odor and the odor of males to the odor of other females. The data support female exclusiveness during the breeding season. During the nonbreeding season, paired encounters between females contained fewer agonistic acts than did encounters between males or those between males and females. Nonbreeding females preferred the odor of female conspecifics to their own odor or the odor of male conspecifics. These results are consistent with group nesting and a relaxation of female territoriality during the nonbreeding season. Nonbreeding males did not exhibit a preference for their own odor, the odor of other males, or the odor of female conspecifics. Our results indicate that nonbreeding males are solitary, and overwintering groups are female-biased. Odor preferences may underlie seasonal changes in social organization.


Behaviour ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 87 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 237-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas S. Thompson ◽  
Richard N. Racine

AbstractBlue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) differ from most New World jays by not breeding communally. Thus, blue jays have been considered less social than other New World jays. This study re-examined blue jay sociality by determining the extent of social organization in the non-breeding season. Color-banded blue jays were observed for 3 years at the Wachusett Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary in central Massachusetts. Of 413 jays that were banded, 78 were present in the Sanctuary at least 4 weeks after their inititial banding and 7 others were observed at an adjacent Farm, about 600 m from the main study site. During winter, a jay group centered its activities around a backyard birdfeeder. This group remained distinct from a neighboring group. Many jays returned to the group in successive winters. Replacement of parents by their offspring also occurred. A stable dominance hierarchy was established in the group and this hierarchy showed some stability over successive winters. A blue jay vocalization, the bell call, showed both inter- and intragroup variation in some call parameters. This variation was sufficient to allow for the identification of groups as well as the individuals within groups. Thus, blue jays are highly social during the non-breeding season. Furthermore, this sociality does not appear to diminish in the breeding season.


1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 468-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. Graf

Snowshoe hares, Lepus americanus, showed various stereotyped agonistic behaviours in both penned and wild populations. Male hares were involved more frequently and in more intense interactions than females. Hares displayed dominance hierarchies in pens, at feeding stations in the wild, and in a completely natural situation. Males were most dominant in the winter, but females were most dominant during the summer breeding season. It is suggested that the switch in dominance occurred because of changes in the approach behaviour of males towards females. In view of the aggression exhibited by this species, further investigation of behavioural population regulation hypotheses is warranted.


The Auk ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 101 (4) ◽  
pp. 804-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. Kiltie ◽  
John W. Fitzpatrick

Abstract A color-banded population of Black-capped Donacobius (Donacobius atricapillus) on a Peruvian oxbow lake was studied during one breeding season and censused for 3 yr thereafter. Eighteen territories along a marshy shoreline were occupied by groups of 2-4 donacobius. Each group contained a mated pair and 0-2 helpers, apparently offspring produced during 1-2 preceding breeding seasons. Helpers participated in nest surveillance, territorial displays, and feeding nestlings. Displays occurred at territory boundaries and consisted of loud duetting by the pair or group. Breeding coincided with the rainy months, October through April, and peaked in November-January. Clutch size was always two. Egg and nestling periods each lasted 17-18 days. No correlation was demonstrable between group size and overall fledging success. Trios, however, accounted for all cases in which both young successfully fledged, whereas pairs never fledged more than one young. Annual survivorship of breeding adults averaged 71%. Cooperative breeding in donacobius is associated with limited opportunities for acquiring breeding territories, as in many other cooperative breeders. The relatively short period during which young serve as helpers (and the resulting small family sizes), however, suggests that at other times or places breeding territories are more readily available to young.


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