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Peahens do not prefer peacocks with more elaborate trains
- Source :
- Animal Behaviour. April, 2008, Vol. 75 Issue 4, p1209, 11 p.
- Publication Year :
- 2008
-
Abstract
- To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.10.004 Byline: Mariko Takahashi, Hiroyuki Arita, Mariko Hiraiwa-Hasegawa, Toshikazu Hasegawa Abstract: The elaborate train of male Indian peafowl, Pavo cristatus, is thought to have evolved in response to female mate choice and may be an indicator of good genes. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the male train in mate choice using male- and female-centred observations in a feral population of Indian peafowl in Japan over 7 years. We found no evidence that peahens expressed any preference for peacocks with more elaborate trains (i.e. trains having more ocelli, a more symmetrical arrangement or a greater length), similar to other studies of galliforms showing that females disregard male plumage. Combined with previous results, our findings indicate that the peacock's train (1) is not the universal target of female choice, (2) shows small variance among males across populations and (3) based on current physiological knowledge, does not appear to reliably reflect the male condition. We also found that some behavioural characteristics of peacocks during displays were largely affected by female behaviours and were spuriously correlated with male mating success. Although the male train and its direct display towards females seem necessary for successful reproduction, we conclude that peahens in this population are likely to exercise active choice based on cues other than the peacock's train. Author Affiliation: (a) Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Japan (a ) Main Building Exhibition Office, the National Science Museum, Tokyo, Japan (a ) School of Advanced Sciences, the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Kanagawa, Japan Article History: Received 7 September 2006; Revised 13 October 2006; Accepted 2 October 2007 Article Note: (miscellaneous) MS. number: 9102
- Subjects :
- Zoology and wildlife conservation
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00033472
- Volume :
- 75
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Gale General OneFile
- Journal :
- Animal Behaviour
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsgcl.176962553