Pair fidelity in long-lived parrots: genetic and behavioural evidence from the Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans)

ABSTRACT

Genetic analyses have revolutionised our understanding of avian mating systems. However, the majority of such studies to date have focused on passerine species. Despite this taxonomic bias, extra-pair paternity (EPP) and conspecific brood parasitism (CBP) are usually concluded to be less common in taxa with pronounced longevity, socially monogamous mating systems, and bi-parental care. The order Psittaciformes, with around 350 species worldwide, has long-lived species that are relatively under-studied with respect to parentage and pair fidelity. Although studies have revealed a variety of mating systems in Psittaciformes, there is little work testing whether EPP or CBP occur in Psittaciformes. To test for genetic and social pair fidelity we studied an Australian parrot, the Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans), over 8 years at three sites in south-eastern Australia. Using nine microsatellite markers in 42 pairs and their offspring, we found no cases of EPP. However, we found one case of CBP, suggesting that P. elegans females do adopt alternative breeding strategies, albeit at low levels. We also show that over the 8 years of study 32% of recaptured individuals paired with more than one partner in different years. Our results are consistent with assumption of low EPP in parrots, but challenge the notion that this is associated with long-term pair bonds.

KEYWORDS:

• Parentage
• Psittaciformes
• extra-pair paternity
• conspecific brood parasitism
• fidelity

Acknowledgements

We thank all numerous landholders who have allowed us to conduct fieldwork on their properties. We thank Stephen Eustace, Jennifer Hoyal Cuthill, David Humphries, Eliza Larson, Milla Mihailova, Claire Newton, Catrin Roberts, Thijs van Overveld, Leonie Raijmakers and Joe Woodgate for helping to collect samples, and Lee Ann Rollins for assisting us with the microsatellite data. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for providing feedback on an earlier version of this manuscript.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by Birdlife Australia’s Stuart Leslie award, the UK’s BBSRC, ARC and the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment. M.L.B. and A.T.D.B. were funded by ARC grants LP140100691 and DP180103494, and K.L.B. was supported by ARC grant FT140100131.