Ardea
Official journal of the Netherlands Ornithologists' Union

login


[close window] [previous abstract] [next abstract]

Draulans D. (1988) The importance of heronries for mate attraction. ARDEA 76 (2): 187-192
Using the comparative approach I studied the relationships between colony sizes, four variables relating to visual conspicuousness, and the degree of performance of three types of display behaviour (aerial, visual non-aerial and acoustic non-aerial) in the heron family (Ardeidae). The analyses indicated that colonial breeding related to conspicuous colouring, diurnal activity and intensive visual display behaviour at the genera level within the family. Similar relationships between coloniality and conspicuousness were found in the Ardea genus, but the genus Egretta was different in the intensity of the different types of display being positively correlated. Current hypotheses on the adaptive significance of colonial breeding in ardeids are briefly reviewed, and a new hypothesis is introduced, namely that coloniality improves mate attraction and the probability of finding a suitable partner through birds having more opportunities to choose. A comparison with the circumstances of a lek has been made. The implications of the new hypothesis for the adaptive significance of mixed-species colonies are discussed.


[close window] [previous abstract] [next abstract]