Similarities in expression of territorial aggression in breeding pairs of northern cardinals, Cardinalis cardinalis
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Similarities in expression of territorial aggression in breeding pairs of northern cardinals, Cardinalis cardinalis M. Susan DeVries1,2 · Caitlin P. Winters1 · Jodie M. Jawor1,3 Received: 29 December 2019 / Accepted: 16 June 2020 © Japan Ethological Society 2020
Abstract Avian pairs that defend resources year-round may demonstrate similar territorial behavior. We examined male and female responses of northern cardinal pairs to male simulated territorial intrusions. Pair members demonstrated comparable responses towards a male ‘intruder’, as latency to respond and proximity scores were very similar between pair members in the majority of pairs examined. Similarity in territorial behavior could be important in cardinal pairs for maintaining yearround resources. Keywords Breeding pairs · Territoriality · Aggression · Birds
Introduction Similar behavioral expression between pair members is important for species where both sexes participate in territorial defense. By responding to territorial threats together, mated pairs may more efficiently remove intruders, a valuable strategy for species that maintain long-term territories. In birds, territorial behavior of mated pairs is often assessed as song duets between mates, how mates coordinate duets, and what duetting signifies (Colombelli-Négrel 2016; Hall 2004; Rȩk 2018). In studies that quantify the level of physical aggression exerted by pair members, strong variation can exist in behavior expressed by pair members, who is being attacked by whom, and the level of aggressive shown by each member. Members of a defending pair may show strong, or exclusive, intrasexual aggressive behavior (Burtka and Grindstaff 2015; Templeton et al. 2016), or they may display intersexual aggression (Bossema and Benus 1985; Schuppe et al. 2016). In some avian species, males ‘lead’ in response to an intruder, with females demonstrating less * M. Susan DeVries [email protected] 1
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA
2
Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI 53190, USA
3
Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
aggression overall to intruders (of either sex), (Appleby et al. 1999; Bard et al. 2002; Busch et al. 2004; Butler and Janes-Butler 1982; Mays and Hopper 2004). Alternatively, forms of territorial behavior exhibited or levels of aggression demonstrated might not be sex-specific; a situation relatively common among tropical birds (Bossema and Benus 1985; Fedy and Stutchbury 2005; Greenberg and Gradwohl 1983; Hall and Peters 2008; Koloff and Mennill 2013; Quinard and Cézilly 2012; Schuppe et al. 2016). Here, we assess aggressive behavior shown by members of northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis; ‘cardinals’) pairs defending territories from male decoy ‘intruders’ during simulated territorial intrusions (STIs) within the early breeding season. In cardinals, both males and females participate in territory defense and int
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