Publication:
Extraterritorial visits in a cooperatively breeding songbird are consistent with multiple functions

dc.contributor.coauthorSmith, Maria G.
dc.contributor.coauthorDickinson, Janis L.
dc.contributor.coauthorSmith, Maria G.
dc.contributor.coauthorShizuka, Daizaburo
dc.contributor.coauthorStern, Caitlin A.
dc.contributor.coauthorDickinson, Janis L.
dc.contributor.departmentDepartment of Psychology
dc.contributor.kuauthorAkçay, Çağlar
dc.contributor.schoolcollegeinstituteCollege of Social Sciences and Humanities
dc.date.accessioned2024-11-09T23:36:18Z
dc.date.issued2020
dc.description.abstractCryptic interactions among individuals in animal societies can be challenging to detect due to their rarity or their covert nature, but they can have important fitness consequences for the individuals involved. Using radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology, we examined the pattern and function of visits to the nests of conspecifics in western bluebirds, Sialia mexicana. Western bluebirds live in kin neighbourhoods year-round and exhibit a low frequency of cooperative breeding. Various functions have been proposed for extraterritorial visits, but few studies explore multiple potential functions. We asked whether extraterritorial visits in western bluebirds are consistent with (1) seeking extrapair copulations (EPCs), (2) prospecting for future nest sites or mates and/or (3) maintaining relationships with kin. We found some evidence supporting all three functions of visits. Postdawn visits made by males to unrelated females were significantly more likely to occur during the period in which males seek within-pair matings than outside this period. We found that visiting a given nestbox or a given potential mate was associated with an increased probability of nesting in that box or with the potential mate the subsequent year, suggesting that some visits are linked to prospecting. Finally, males preferentially visited kin: the proportion of visits to relatives was greater than the expected mean proportion of visits if males visited boxes randomly while travelling the same distance. Our work supports multiple functions of extraterritorial visits and highlights the importance of rare and cryptic behaviours to understanding social behaviour. (C) 2020 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.y
dc.description.indexedbyWOS
dc.description.indexedbyScopus
dc.description.openaccessYES
dc.description.publisherscopeInternational
dc.description.sponsoredbyTubitakEuN/A
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Science Foundation (NSF) [IOS-0718416]
dc.description.sponsorshipNancy Horton Bartels Class of 1948 grant from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology We thank Hastings Natural History Reservation and its staff who made data collection possible. We thank Andrew Arnold, Adam Damon, Tali Hammond, Chelsea Lauderback, David Moldoff, Allison Nevins, Veronica Reed and Rose Swift for assistance in the field. David Bonter and Megan Milligan provided RFID support. Francoise Vermeylen provided insights into analyses. Walter Koenig provided assistance with analyses and programming. We thank David J. Weber and three anonymous referees for helpful comments on the manuscript. The research was funded by a National Science Foundation grant (NSF IOS-0718416) to J.L.D. and associated Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) supplements. M.G.S. was funded by a Nancy Horton Bartels Class of 1948 grant from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
dc.description.volume170
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.10.012
dc.identifier.eissn1095-8282
dc.identifier.issn0003-3472
dc.identifier.quartileQ1
dc.identifier.scopus2-s2.0-85096170444
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.10.012
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14288/12634
dc.identifier.wos598905300012
dc.keywordsCooperative breeding
dc.keywordsExtrapair copulation
dc.keywordsExtraterritorial foray
dc.keywordsKin neighbourhood
dc.keywordsProspecting
dc.keywordsEfid
dc.keywordsWestern bluebird gatherıng public informatıon
dc.keywordsExtra-pair paternity
dc.keywordsWestern bluebirds
dc.keywordsFitness consequences
dc.keywordsDelayed dispersal
dc.keywordsSialia-mexicana
dc.keywordsBehavior
dc.keywordsCopulations
dc.keywordsFrequency
dc.keywordsBirds
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relation.ispartofAnimal Behaviour
dc.subjectBehavioral Sciences
dc.subjectZoology
dc.titleExtraterritorial visits in a cooperatively breeding songbird are consistent with multiple functions
dc.typeJournal Article
dspace.entity.typePublication
local.contributor.kuauthorAkçay, Çağlar
local.publication.orgunit1College of Social Sciences and Humanities
local.publication.orgunit2Department of Psychology
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