Presentation Details
Drivers of Individual Variation in the Courtship Displays of a Territorial Hummingbird

Emma D.Demefack.

Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA

Abstract


In territorial species, courtship displays can signal resources available to prospective mates. Broad-tailed hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) males perform U-dive courtship displays of varying frequency and intensity, but the drivers of this variation are unclear. I examined how territorial characteristics predict courtship behavior in territory-holding males at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, using behavioral observation and quantification of territorial characteristics. Contrary to predictions, floral diversity, territory size, and proximity to feeders did not significantly predict display behavior. Instead, proximity to river was the strongest predictor, with males farther from rivers spending more time U-diving later in the breeding season. Territories increased in size and floral diversity later in the season. These results suggest that resource abundance on territories does not strongly influence courtship behavior, but distance to river may represent abiotic factors not depicted in this study. Furthermore, display behavior likely increases later in the breeding season due to seasonal phenology and the mating status of females.

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