Field study of the relationship between personality and reproductive strategy in the White-collared Blackbird Turdus albocinctus |
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| Authors: | Jian-Chuan Li Li-Fang Gao Li-Qing Fan Hai-Yang Zhang Wen Zhang Bo Du |
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| Institution: | 1. Tibet Plateau Institute of Biology, Beijing West Road #19, Tibet autonomous region, Lhasa City, 850000 China;2. School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Tianshui South Road #222, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000 China;3. Institute of Plateau Ecology, Xizang Agriculture and Animal Husbandry College, The Xueyuan Road #8, Bayi Town, Tibet, Linzhi, 860000 China |
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| Abstract: | The discovery of personality traits in animal populations may help to explain individual variation in breeding strategies. In the White-collared Blackbird Turdus albocinctus, females, but not males, exhibited different nest defence behaviours that can be used to classify them into bold and shy personalities. Bold females had higher nest success, lower fecundity and higher parental investment than shy females, and the social mates of bold females had lower parental investment than that of shy females. Our findings suggest that the reproductive strategy of birds may be closely related to their personality traits. |
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| Keywords: | boldness nest defence behaviour parental care pattern personality shyness |
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