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Significance of Mother and Sibling Experience for Mating Preferences in the Mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos )
Author(s) -
Klint Thorsten
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
zeitschrift für tierpsychologie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.739
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-0310
pISSN - 0044-3573
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1978.tb01822.x
Subject(s) - hatching , anas , sibling , imprinting (psychology) , sexual selection , mating , mate choice , psychology , zoology , biology , developmental psychology , demography , social psychology , ecology , genetics , sociology , gene
Social attachment seems necessary for sexual imprinting. In mallards the likely period of social attachment is from hatching until the broods disperse. The potential imprinting objects are mother and siblings. Four combinations of mother‐sibling groups of same and different colour were used (N = 131). The groups were kept together from hatching until the young were 12 weeks old. When sexually mature, the birds' choices of mate were recorded. Colouration is an important cue in mate selection. Both mother and siblings are of importance. The effect of experimental factors cannot be attributed to any particular sex.