Destruction of a conspecific nest by a female Superb Lyrebird: evidence for reproductive suppression in a bird with female-only parental care
In: BehaviourSearch for other papers by Victoria I. Austin in
Current site
Google Scholar
Search for other papers by Justin A. Welbergen in
Current site
Google Scholar
Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
Sherbrooke Lyrebird Survey Group, 30 Moores Road, Monbulk, VIC 3793, Australia
Search for other papers by Alex C. Maisey in
Current site
Google Scholar
Search for other papers by Meghan G. Lindsay in
Current site
Google Scholar
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
Search for other papers by Anastasia H. Dalziell in
Current site
Google Scholar
Abstract
Reproductive suppression, whereby individuals decrease the reproductive output of conspecific rivals, is well-studied in mammals, but while it is suspected to be widespread in birds, evidence of this phenomenon remains rare in this class. Here we provide compelling evidence of reproductive suppression in the Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandie), with the first audio-visual documentation of the destruction of one female’s nest by another. We propose that nest destruction may be a strategy that females use in protracted territorial negotiations spanning multiple breeding seasons, and discuss how reproductive suppression could explain puzzling nesting behaviours in this species, such as the construction of multiple unfinished nests in each breeding season. More broadly, these results reveal high intra-sexual competition among female lyrebirds, and thus may provide an explanation for their elaborate vocal displays.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
-
Berg, M.L., Beintema, N.H., Welbergen, J.A. & Komdeur, J. (2006). The functional significance of multiple nest-building in the Australian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus australis. — Ibis 148: 395-404.
-
Boves, T.J., Buehler, D.A. & Boves, N.E. (2011). Conspecific egg destruction by a female Cerulean Warbler. — Wilson J. Ornithol. 123: 401-403.
-
Brown, C.R. & Brown, M.B. (1988). The costs and benefits of egg destruction by conspecifics in colonial Cliff Swallows. — Auk 105: 737-748.
-
Clutton-Brock, T.H. & Huchard, E. (2013). Social competition and selection in males and females. — Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. B: Biol. Sci. 368: 1631.
-
Cockburn, A. (2006). Prevalence of different modes of parental care in birds. — Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B: Biol. Sci. 273: 1375-1383.
-
Dalziell, A. & Welbergen, J. (2016). Elaborate mimetic vocal displays by female Superb Lyrebirds. — Front. Ecol. Evol. 4: 34.
-
Heinsohn, R.G. (1988). Inter-group ovicide and nest destruction in cooperatively breeding White-winged Choughs. — Anim. Behav. 36: 1856-1858.
-
Higgins, P.J., Peter, J.M. & Steele, W.K. (2001). Tyrant-flycatchers to chats. — In: Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic birds. Oxford University Press, Melbourne, VIC.
-
Kattan, G.H. (2016). Heterospecific infanticidal behavior by Southern House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon musculus) suggests nest site competition. — Wilson J. Ornithol. 128: 899-903.
-
Kenyon, R.F. (1972). Polygyny among Superb Lyrebirds in Sherbrooke Forest Park, Kallista, Victoria. — Emu 72: 70-76.
-
Kleindorfer, S. & Wasser, S.K. (2004). Infant handling and mortality in yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus): evidence for female reproductive competition? — Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 56: 328-337.
-
Krieg, C.A. & Getty, T. (2016). Not just for males: females use song against male and female rivals in a temperate zone songbird. — Anim. Behav. 113: 39-47.
-
Lill, A. (1979a). An assessment of male parental investment and pair bonding in the polygamous Superb Lyrebird. — Auk 96: 489-498.
-
Lill, A. (1979b). Nest inattentiveness and its influence on development of the young in the Superb Lyrebird. — Condor 81: 225-231.
-
Lill, A. (1980). Reproductive success and nest predation in the Superb Lyrebird, Menura superba. — Aus. Wildl. Res. 7: 271-280.
-
Lill, A. (1986). Time-energy budgets during reproduction and the evolution of single parenting in the Superb Lyrebird. — Aus. J. Zool. 34: 351-371.
-
Lill, C. (2004). Family Menuridae (Lyrebirds). — In: Handbook of the birds of the world. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, p. 484-495.
-
Maisey, A.C., Carter, N.T., Incoll, J.M. & Bennett, A.F. (2016). Environmental influences on variation in nest-characteristics in a long-term study population of the Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae). — Emu 116: 445-451.
-
Maisey, A.C., Nimmo, D.G. & Bennett, A.F. (2018). Habitat selection by the Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae) an iconic ecosystem engineer in forests of south-eastern Australia. — Aus. Ecol. 44: 503-513.
-
Muller, M.N. & Wrangham, R. (2002). Sexual mimicry in hyenas. — Q. Rev. Biol. 77: 3-16.
-
Pusey, A.E. & Packer, C. (1994). Infanticide in lions: consequences and counterstrategies. — In: Infanticide and parental care (Parmigiani, S. & vom Saal, F., eds). Harwood Academic, London, p. 257-299.
-
Quinn, J., Samuelsen, A., Barclay, M., Schmaltz, G. & Kahn, H. (2010). Circumstantial evidence for infanticide of chicks of the communal Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani). — Wilson J. Ornithol. 122: 369-374.
-
Reilly, P. (1970). Nesting of the Superb Lyrebird in Sherbrooke Forest, Victoria. — Emu 70: 73-78.
-
Riehl, C. (2016). Infanticide and within-clutch competition select for reproductive synchrony in a cooperative bird. — Evolution 70: 1760-1769.
-
Robinson, F. & Frith, H. (1981). The Superb Lyrebird Menura novaehollandiae at Tidbinbilla, ACT. — Emu 81: 145-157.
-
Roulin, A. & Hager, R. (2003). Indiscriminate nursing in communal breeders: a role for genomic imprinting. — Ecol. Lett. 6: 165-166.
-
Tobias, J.A., Montgomerie, R. & Lyon, B.E. (2012). The evolution of female ornaments and weaponry: social selection, sexual selection and ecological competition. — Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. B: Biol. Sci. 367: 2274-2293.
-
Wasser, S.K. & Barash, D.P. (1983). Reproductive suppression among female mammals: implications for biomedicine and sexual selection theory. — Q. Rev. Biol. 58: 513-538.
-
Wasser, S.K. & Starling, A.K. (1988). Proximate and ultimate causes of reproductive suppression among female Yellow Baboons at Mikumi National Park, Tanzania. — Am. J. Primatol. 16: 97-121.
-
West-Eberhard, M.J. (1983). Sexual selection, social competition, and speciation. — Q. Rev. Biol. 58: 155-183.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 905 | 130 | 5 |
| Full Text Views | 157 | 14 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 133 | 19 | 1 |
Destruction of a conspecific nest by a female Superb Lyrebird: evidence for reproductive suppression in a bird with female-only parental care
In: BehaviourSearch for other papers by Victoria I. Austin in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Justin A. Welbergen in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
Sherbrooke Lyrebird Survey Group, 30 Moores Road, Monbulk, VIC 3793, Australia
Search for other papers by Alex C. Maisey in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Meghan G. Lindsay in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
Search for other papers by Anastasia H. Dalziell in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
Reproductive suppression, whereby individuals decrease the reproductive output of conspecific rivals, is well-studied in mammals, but while it is suspected to be widespread in birds, evidence of this phenomenon remains rare in this class. Here we provide compelling evidence of reproductive suppression in the Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandie), with the first audio-visual documentation of the destruction of one female’s nest by another. We propose that nest destruction may be a strategy that females use in protracted territorial negotiations spanning multiple breeding seasons, and discuss how reproductive suppression could explain puzzling nesting behaviours in this species, such as the construction of multiple unfinished nests in each breeding season. More broadly, these results reveal high intra-sexual competition among female lyrebirds, and thus may provide an explanation for their elaborate vocal displays.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 905 | 130 | 5 |
| Full Text Views | 157 | 14 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 133 | 19 | 1 |