Courtship and Pair Formation

1
Courtship and Pair Formation
2
Courtship

• Activities associated with development, testing,
  and maintenance of pairs (or liaisons)
• Pair?
• Proximity of mate
• Duration of association
• Cooperation
• Direct behaviors towards one another
• Aggressive towards others

3
Pairing - Ontogeny

• Early experiences (imprinting) can affect mate
  selection
• Blue and white phase snow geese
• Steps
• Interest (searching)
• Attracting attention (herding, positioning)
• Fostering (mock behaviors, triumph displays)
• Countering rivals (more developed and mutual
  displays)

4
Who do you mate with?

• Imprinting again
• Familiarity
• Early experiences
• Morphology
• Age
• Male dominance
• Courtship abilities
• Competence

5
Courtship/Other Displays

• Anseranatidae
• Provisioning young
• Trio polygamous relationships
• Females lay in the same nest
• Collaborate with male for raising young

6
Dendrocygninae

• Whistling call
• Performed in flight
• Physical behaviors are poorly described

7
Anserinae

• Triumph Display
• Head dipping

8
Anatini

• Grunt-whistle
• Down-up
• Head-up-tail-up
• Inciting Females
• Threats to other males
• Nod-swimming to mate
• Post-copulatory
• bathing

9
Aythyini

• Subtle
• Kinked-neck call
• Neck-stretch
• Head-throw
• Sneak
• Inciting Female
• Threats to other males
• Neck stretch to female

10
Mergini

• More subtle
• Diverse (calls)
• Eider cooing
• Bugling (long-tailed)
• Scoter whistling
• Goldeneye buzzing
• Wing noises
• Head-throw-kick
• Head-throw
• Masthead

11
Oxyurini

• Sounds
• Bubbling
• Ring-rush

12
(No Transcript)
13
Timing of Pair Formation

• As early as late summer
• Intra- and inter-specific variation, but
  generally earlier than other birds

14
Why pair early?

• Early-nesting early pairing
• Weller
• Anatini earlier than Aythyini
• Diet-quality hypothesis
• Male/male competition
• Energetics