HIGH RATES OF EXTRA-PAIR PATERNITY IN THE SOUTH TEMPERATE WHITE-RUMPED SWALLOW (TACHYCINETA LEUCORRHOA)

FERRETTI VALENTINA; MASSONI, VIVIANA; BULIT, FLORENCIA; WINKLER, DAVID W.; LOVETTE, IRBY J.

Philadelphia

Congreso; 127th Stated Meeting of the American Ornithologists’ Union; 2009

Despite all the detailed paternity studies on Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), and the very high rates of extra-pair paternity in this species, there is still no information on paternity levels for most of the nine species included in the genus Tachycineta. Here, we look at extra-pair paternity rates in the White-rumped swallow (T. leucorrhoa), a congeneric southern hemisphere breeder. Following life history predictions we expected south-temperate White-rumped swallows to show low rates of extra-pair paternity - similar to those found in the tropical Mangrove swallow (T. albilinea). We found, however, that the population sampled in this study had extra-pair young in 80.9% of the broods (N = 42) totaling 56.9% of the offspring in the colony (N = 186). We discuss the implications of our results in the context of life history theory.