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Extra-pair paternity and intraspecific brood parasitism in wild zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata, revealed by DNA fingerprinting

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Summary

The frequency of extra-pair parentage in a wild population of zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata was examined by DNA fingerprinting. A total of 25 families, comprising 16 pairs of parents and 92 offspring (in broods of 1 to 6) were examined. Ten cases of extra-pair parentage, presumed to constitute intraspecific brood parasitism, were detected (10.9% of offspring or 36% of broods), including one possible instance of ‘quasi-parasitism’ (parasitism by a female fertilized by the male nest owner). The average number of parasitic eggs per clutch detected by fingerprinting was 1.10±0.32 SD, very similar to the one egg difference in average clutch size between parasitised (6.0±0.82) and unparasitised nests (5.0±0.95). Two cases of extra-pair paternity (EPP) were detected among 82 offspring whose maternity was confirmed: 2.4% of offspring, or 8% of broods. In both cases EPP accounted for only a single offspring within a brood. Behavioural observations show that EPP occurs through extra-pair copulation rather than rapid mate switching. The results are discussed in the light of what is known about the fertile period and sperm precedence patterns in this species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, S10 2TN, Sheffield, UK

    T. R. Birkhead & F. M. Hunter

  2. Department of Zoology, University of Leicester, LE1 7RH, Leicester, UK

    T. Burke & A. P. Krupa

  3. Department of Zoology, La Trobe University, 3083, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia

    R. Zann

Authors
  1. T. R. Birkhead
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  2. T. Burke
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  3. R. Zann
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  4. F. M. Hunter
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  5. A. P. Krupa
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Birkhead, T.R., Burke, T., Zann, R. et al. Extra-pair paternity and intraspecific brood parasitism in wild zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata, revealed by DNA fingerprinting. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 27, 315–324 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00164002

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00164002

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