DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Cooperative Display Behavior in the Lance-Tailed Manakin

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This research investigates the evolution of cooperative display behavior in lance-tailed manakins (Pipridae; Chiroxiphia lanceolata). These small, neotropical birds have a unique mating system that requires two males to cooperate in an elaborate courtship song and dance in order to attract a mate. When a female is receptive, the subordinate male leaves and only the dominant male copulates. There is no apparent conflict between the males. This sort of cooperation contradicts current evolutionary thought, which predicts that indviduals act to maximize their own reproductive success. This study will test a series of hypotheses that could explain the adaptive advantage of cooperation for subordinate males. This research represents the first thorough study of lance-tailed manakins.