Paternity and paternal behaviour in the red-winged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus

A study of the relationship between paternity and paternal behavior in an eastern population of red-winged blackbirds during the four seasons shows that paternity does not influence paternal behavior. This result is suggested by the male provisioning of individual broods identically, despite the paternity of males in that brood. The level of provisioning by males with low paternity over several nests is the same as that of males with high paternity.