Individual territoriality in lekking species: the case of the Helmeted Manakin

ABSTRACT

Neotropical manakins exhibit polygynous lekking systems in which males do not provide paternal care and exhibit elaborate courtship displays. Despite familial patterns, some historical field observations suggested that the Helmeted Manakin (Antilophia galeata) has evolved territoriality rather than lekking and a socially monogamous mating system. Furthermore, the evidence so far does not allow a clear understanding of the role played by resources, such as nesting sites and male behaviour in shaping the mating system in this species. Our objectives were to verify whether territorial behaviour occurs in the Helmeted Manakin and to provide a preliminary assessment of this species’ hypothesised social monogamy. Using an experimental approach with simulated territorial intrusions, we demonstrated that males in this species hold individual territories with nesting sites but do not provide parental care, similar to its congener, the Araripe Manakin (Antilophia bokermanni). Males’ responses occurred more aggressively in central areas of territories. Larger home ranges encompassed the smaller defended territories and the male display consists of repeated circular flights within the territory. Our results indicate that the Helmeted Manakin has a polygamous mating system. However, we suggest the species is better classified within the continuum of a resource-defence exploded-lek mating system. The distinct environmental conditions in which the species evolved may have played a significant role in modifying its behaviour, resulting in patterns that deviate from the typical lekking system found among manakins. This study highlights the importance of investigating atypical manakins to further our understanding of alternative reproductive tactics among birds.

KEYWORDS:

• Breeding behaviour
• territorial defence
• STI
• piprid
• experimental playback
• Pipridae
• decoy

Acknowledgments

We thank Cristina Y. Miyaki for providing support and laboratory facilities to conduct the molecular analysis. We are deeply indebted to all volunteers who helped with fieldwork, to all employees in the “Fazenda Água Limpa” for their assistance, and to the three anonymous reviewers whose suggestions greatly improved the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data deposition

The data supporting this study’s findings is openly available in Mendeley Data at http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/cv4h8d8w2k.1

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1080/01584197.2022.2160358.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Distrito Federal (FAP-DF), Idea Wild, the Animal Behavior Society, the Association of Field Ornithologists, the National Geographic Society and the Western Bird Banding Association. The University of Brasília provided logistical support. Scholarships were provided to L.N.K. by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and to M.C., S.A.T. and P.V.R.S. by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES). CNPq also provided a research fellowship to R.H.M. for the duration of the study.