Relationships of wingtip shape, song-flight and mating success in male black-headed buntings Emberiza melanocephala

Abstract

Wing design in birds is the result of different and potentially opposing natural selection pressures, such as those related to migration, predator avoidance and habitat type. Sexual selection for flight performance may also shape wing design via female preferences for superior performance of flight display. The black-headed bunting Emberiza melanocephala is a polygynous species that is sexually dimorphic in both plumage colour and size. Males perform Towering song-flight, which is a physically demanding display performed only in the presence of receptive females, potentially affecting male mating success. Towering flight features could in turn be influenced by wing morphology. Thus, we studied male wingtip shape in relation to the frequency of Towering song-flights and consequently in relation to the mating success of black-headed bunting males. We found that male mating success was not related to the frequency of song-flights even though it was predicted by male wingtip shape, perhaps suggesting that the quality of Towering flights, in terms of height, steepness or duration of flight, rather than the quantity, influences male mating success.