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Field playback of male display attracts females in lek breeding sage grouse

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Summary

Recent correlational studies of lekking sage grouse suggest that male vocal display attracts females. To test this hypothesis further, the natural displays of a territorial male were supplemented with the tape-recorded display of another, reproductively-successful, individual. Significantly, more females approached the speaker's location on days when the recording was played, and also on non-playback days immediately following a playback, than on other non-playback days (Fig. 1). Analysis of male displays indicated that females were responding to the playback itself rather than to changes in male behavior. The “after-response” following a playback suggests that some females present during a playback remembered its location and approached on a subsequent lek visit. The results provide necessary support for the epigamic function of vocal display, and suggest ways in which female responses to male display may influence lek structure.

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  1. Department of Biology, University of California, 90024-1606, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    R. M. Gibson

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  1. R. M. Gibson
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Gibson, R.M. Field playback of male display attracts females in lek breeding sage grouse. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 24, 439–443 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00293273

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00293273

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