MALE ARRIVAL AND FEMALE MATE CHOICE IN PIED FLYCATCHERS FICEDULA-HYPOLEUCA IN CENTRAL SPAIN

Male arrival and female mate choice are documented for a montane Spanish population of Pied Flycatchers. Early arriving males were older and defended a higher number of nestboxes than males arriving later. A first analysis of female mate choice in the entire population detected significant differences between mated and unmated males only in their respective arrival dates. This type of analysis may be unrealistic, owing to the operation of female searching costs. A second test based on the between-year dispersal tendencies of adult females and their presumed mating 'decisions' revealed a central role of site-tenacity in female choice, with variation in a secondary sexual character, the male's white patch in the forehead, also being important for pairing success.