Experience-based nest-box and mate choice in the white-rumped swallow Tachycineta leucorrhoa

VIVIANA MASSONI; FLORENCIA BULIT; CAROLINA ISABEL MIÑO

Manaus

Congreso; X Neotropical Ornithologial Congress; 2015

Nest-site and mate choice can profoundly influence an organism?s fitness and individuals ofsome northern hemisphere species use both self- and social information to select nests andmates. To expand the knowledge on southern hemisphere birds we explored the variablesassociated to nest-box and mate choice in the White-rumped Swallow Tachicynetaleucorrhoa using a nine years? dataset on returning breeders at a colony located inChascomús (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Breeders presented moderate return rates (38.1%)and low local recruitment rates (4.1%). Generalized linear mixed models revealed that, outof eight variables examined, previous breeding performance and mate retentionsignificantly explained variation in nest-box and mate choice, although differently forsexes. Females? reuse of a particular box was significantly explained by a successfulprevious breeding experience, while this variable did not affect male?s choice. Nest-boxretention alone was a good predictor of mate choice variation in males, while femaleswould choose a mate already settled in a box, regardless of their individual increase inbreeding performance. We suggest that box retention by females would be related tomaintaining social partners with good abilities as caregivers, indirectly assessed throughtheir box claiming competence.