Short Communications and Commentaries The Auk 113(2):490-492, 1996 Correlatesof Mating Successin Indian Peafowl SHAHLA YASMIN AND H. S. A. YAHYA Centreof Wildlife& Ornithology,Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh,India The Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)is a lek-breed- sured (for classificationof Peacocktrain feather types, ing, dimorphic species,with males having an elab- see Manning 1987). The length of longest fish-tail orate tail called the train. Adult males with a com- feather correspondsto the train length. pletely developed train establishdisplay territories We tabulatedthe following independentvariables: in mid-April, and maintain them until the end of the proportion of observedtime spent displaying in fe- breedingseason in September,when moltingof train males'absence (display rate); number of callsper min- feathersbegins (pets. obs.).A skewed distributionof ute of observationtime (call rate); proportion of total matings towards a few males has been reported in callshaving more than five notes(CALLS > 5N); and Indian Peafowl by Rands et al. (1984) and Petrie et length of longest fish-tail feather. The dependent al. (1991). While Petrie et al. (1991) attributed variance variable was mating success.Mating successwas ex- in mating successto the variancein train morphology, pressedas the proportion of total copulations (re- Randset al. (1984)suggested that male mating success corded for the 11 males) obtained by a given male. could be a result of the combined effects of male be- Pearson product-moment correlations were used to havior and active female choicebased on phenotypic evaluate the relation between each of the indepen- traits. We investigatedthe relationship between the dent variablesand mating success.Partial correlation variancein mating successand behavior,in addition between mating successand each independent vari- to the variation in train morphology of males. able was calculated,holding each of the other vari- Methods.--Our study was conductedon a popula- ablesconstant, to eliminate the problem of intercor- tion of around 50 birds at Aligarh fort, situatedin the relations of variables (Snedecor and Cochran 1967). outskirtsof the town of Allgarb (27ø30'N,79ø40'E) in Results.--The most successful male obtained 10 of India. In 1994, there were 23 adult peacocksin the the 31 copulationsobserved. Two males mated five studyarea that progressivelyestablished their display times, one mated four times, one mated three times, sitesfrom the third week of April onwards.A group one mated twice, and two mated once. Two males of 11 males with adjacentdisplay sites was selected obtained no mates. for detailed simultaneousobservations. Sample size The statisticalanalysis of resultsis in Table 1. Mat- was restricted to 11 because it would have been dif- ing successof maleswas significantlycorrelated with ficult to collect data on more males simultaneously. proportionof total callshaving greaterthan five notes, Data on behaviorof thesepeacocks were collectedby CALLS > 5N (r = 0.53, n = 11, P < 0.05) and with focal-animal sampling (Altmann 1974) during June the length of longest fish-tail feather per male (r = and July 1994 (the peak mating period). Behavioral 0.72, n = 11, P < 0.01). Call rate (r = 0.01) and display observations were made between 0500 and 0900, with rate (r = -0.31) were not significantlycorrelated with a total of 240 h of observations.Data on the following mating success. were collected:total time spent in display (presence Partial correlationanalysis involving all of the five or absence of females was recorded at same time); variablestogether revealed that displayrate (r = -0.74, number of calls of different notes (a call "kian kian P < 0.05) and length of longest fish-tail feather per kian" is considered to have three notes);total number male (r = 0.76, P < 0.05) were significantlycorrelated of calls during observationperiod; and number of to mating successwhen the other three independent successfulmatings. variables were held constant. Males showed philoparry to their display sitesand Discussion.--Ourresults suggest that certainbehav- tended to roostand rest near thesesites until molting ioral factorsalso contribute to variancein mating suc- was completed. Moreover, all of the males did not cessin addition to train morphology. molt simultaneously,which helped in recognitionand The inversecorrelation of mating successwith dis- allowed collection of molted feathers of different males play rate suggeststhat display behavior is important separately. Lengths of fish-tail feathers were mea- in attracting females.The display rate has been found 49O April 1996] ShortCommunications andCommentaries 491 TABLE1. Behavioraland morphologicalfactors affecting mating successof peacocks.Dependent variable is numberof matesobtained. Correlations with numberof matesobtained based on 11 malesin groupstudied. Correlation Simple Partial Independentvariable œ+ SD r rp Display ratea 0.054 + 0.222 -0.31 -0.74 Length of longestfish-tail feather (cm) 153.163+__ 6.999 0.72 0.76 CALLS > 5N • 0.538 + 0.212 0.53 0.56 Call rate ½ 0.236 + 0.032 0.01 0.55 Proportionof observedtime spent by malesin displayingin females'absence. Proportionof totalnumber of callshaving notes greater than five. Numberof callsper minuteof observationtime. r• is partialcorrelation with all of the otherthree variables partialled out. to determine male mating successin the SageGrouse thology,Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, for pro- (Centrocercusurophasianus; Gibson and Bradbury1985) viding the necessaryfacilities. and for numerousother species. The positive correlation of mating successwith LITERATURE CITED CALLS > 5N suggeststhat call length might serveas a cue in mate selection.In the Grey Partridge(Perdix ALTMANN,J. 1974. Observationalstudy of behavior: perdix),Beani and Dessi-Fulgheri(1995) showed that Samplingmethods. Behaviour 49:227-265. femalesselected males on the basisof vocal perfor- ANDERSSON,M. 1982. Female choice selects for ex- mance. Males producinghigh rates of "rusty-gate" treme tail length in a widowbird. Nature 299: callswith longer duration were preferredby female 818-820. partridges.In passerines,song componentsare used BAKER,M. C., T. K. BIERICE,H. M. LAMPE,AND Y. O. as cuesfor mate selectionby females(Eriksson and ESPMARK.1986. Sexualresponse of female Great Wallin 1986, Searcyand Andersson1986, Catchpole Tits to variation in sizeof males'song repertoires. 1987).Baker et al. (1986,1987) showed experimentally Am. Nat. 128:491-498. that larger song repertorieswere more attractiveto BAKER,M. C., T. K. BJERKE,H. M. LAMPE, AND Y. O. females.In pheasantsalso, calls may be importantin ESPMARK.1987. Sexual reponseof female Yel- mate selectionbecause they can be detectedat some lowhammersto differencesin regional song di- distance.However, call length and not the call rate alectsand repertoire sizes.Anim. Behav. 35:395- mayserve as a cuefor matechoice. In Indian Peafowl, 401. the ability to producemating callsprobably develops BARNARD,P. 1990. Male tail length, sexualdisplay with the progressof age.This was evident from two intensityand femalesexual response in a para- facts:the subadultmales did not producemating calls; sitic African finch. Anim. Behav. 39:652-656. and two males that had established territories for the BEANI, L., AND F. DESsI-FULGHERI. 1995. Mate choice first time in 1994(i.e. were youngerthan other males) in the GreyPartridge, Perdix perdix: Role of phys- couldnot producea singlemating call with morethan ical and behavioural male traits. Anim. Behav. five notes.Loftredo and Borgia(1986) also suggested 49:347-356. that, in the SatinBowerbird (Ptilinorhynchus violaceus), CATCHPOLE,C.K. 1987. Bird song, sexualselection the complexityof male courtshipvocalizations is cor- and female choice. Trends Ecol. & Evol. 2:94-97. relatedwith maleage, and that suchcomplexity may EmKSSON,D. ANDL. WALLIN. 1986. Male bird song influence female choice. attractsfemales: A field experiment.Behav. Ecol. The length of longestfish-tail feather, which cor- Sociobiol. 19:297-299. respondsto train length (Manning 1987), was cor- GIBSON,R. M., AND J. W. BRADBIJR¾.1985. Sexual related with mating success.This supportsPetrie et selectionin lekking Sage Grouse:Phenotypic al. (1991), who indicated that aspectsof train mor- correlatesof male mating success.Behav. Ecol. phologyserve as cues for femalechoice. Experimental Sociobiol. 18:117-123. studieson the polygynousLong-tailed Widowbird LOFFREDO,C., ANDG. BORGIA.1986. Male courtship (Euplectesprogne; Andersson 1982), the monogamous as cues for mate choice in the Satin Bowerbird Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica;Moller 1988), and the (Ptilinorhynchusviolaceus). Auk 103:189-195. promiscuousQueen Whydah (Vidua regia;Barnard MANNING,J. T. 1987. The peacock'strain and the 1990)also showed that femalespreferred to matewith age-dependencymodel of female choice.World maleshaving longer tails. PheasantAssoc. J. 12:44-56. Acknowledgments.--Weare thankful to the previous MOLLr•, A.P. 1988. Female choice selects for male chairman,A. H. Musavi, and the presentchairman, sexualtail ornamentsin the monogamousSwal- A. R. Rahmani, of the Centre of Wildlife & Orni- low. Nature 332:640-642. 492 ShortCommunications andCommentaries [Auk,Vol. 113 PETRIE,M., T. HALLIDAY, AND C. SANDERS. 1991. Pea- selectionand the evolutionof song.Annu. Rev. hensprefer peacocks with elaboratetrains. Anim. Ecol. Syst. 17:507-533. Behav. 41:323-331. SNEDECOR,G. W., A•D W. G. COCHRAN. 1967. Statis- RANDS, M. R. W., M. W. RIDLEY, AND