SEXUAL SELECTION THROUGH FEMALE CHOICE IN LAWES PAROTIA, A LEK-MATING BIRD OF PARADISE

In Parotia lawesii in Papua New Guinea, there was a high variance in mating success among males, with fewer than half of the individuals mating in any year. A role of female choice in sexual selection was suggested by the patterns of female visitation to courts and correlations across males between phenotypic traits and mating success. Females repeatedly visited most males in their home ranges and began visiting males up to 6 wk before mating. The probability of display positively and significantly influenced mating status and relative mating success among males. Females showed strong fidelity to mates, both within and between seasons. Display sites are variably dispersed, but mating success did not differ for grouped and solitary males. -from Authors