Appendix
Summary of studies on birds that have tested for a sex-bias amongst offspring in the event of extra-pair
fertilization (excludes studies that did not determine sex using molecular methods, e.g. Kempenaers et
al. 1997). Sample sizes appear in parentheses. References follow summary.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Sex-bias detected at the level of:
Species
Individuals?
Broods?
Reference
Black swan
Cygnus atratus
No (258)
No (28)
Kraaijeveld et al. (2007)
Tree swallow (Wisconsin)
Tachycineta bicolor
No (122)
No (31)
Whittingham & Dunn (2001)
Tree swallow (Ontario)
No (284)
Yes-female (50) Delmore et al. (2008)
Fairy martin
Petrochelidon ariel
--
No (29)
Magrath et al. (2002)
Barn swallow
Hirundo rustica
No (74)
--
Saino et al. (1999)
Blue tit (England)
Cyanistes caeruleus
No (986)
No (103)
Leech et al. (2001)
Blue tit (France)
No (850)
--
Dreiss et al. (2005)
Coal tit
Periparus ater
No (2388)
No (457)
Dietrich-Bischoff et al. (2006)
Black-capped chickadee
Poecile atricapilla
No (118)
No (174)
Ramsay et al. (2003)
House wren
Troglodytes aedon
Yes-male (2345)
No (476)
This study
Great reed warbler
Acrocephalus arundinaceus
--
No (175)
Westerdahl et al. (1997)
Collared flycatcher (Sweden)
Ficedula albicollis
No (102)
No (19)
Sheldon & Ellegren (1996)
Collared flycatcher (Poland)
--
No (27)
Wilk et al. (2008)
Collared flycatcher (Hungary)
No (87)
--
Rosivall et al. (2009)
Bluethroat (Norway)
Luscinia svecica
No (≤475)
--
Johnsen et al. (2000)
Bluethroat (France)
No (68)
--
Questiau et al. (2000)
Red-capped robin
Petroica goodenovii
Trend-male (171)
--
Dowling & Mulder (2006)
Common yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
No (486)
--
Abroe et al. (2007)
Reed bunting (Norway)
Emberiza schoeniclus
No (87)
--
Kleven & Lifjeld (2004)
Reed bunting (Netherlands)
No (393)
--
Bouwman et al. (2007)
Reed bunting (Switzerland)
No (792)
--
Suter et al. (2007)
Savannah sparrow
Passerculus sandwichensis
No (403)
--
Freeman-Gallant et al. (2006)
Red-winged blackbird
No (113)
No (78)
Westneat et al. (1995)
Agelaius phoeniceus
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REFERENCES
Abroe, B., Garvin, J. C., Pedersen, M. C., Whittingham, L. A. & Dunn, P.O. 2007 Brood sex ratios are
related to male size but not to attractiveness in common yellowthroats (Geothlypis trichas). Auk
124, 176-184.
Bouwman, K. M., van Dijk, R. E., Wijmenga, J. J. & Komdeur, J. 2007 Older male reed buntings are
more successful at gaining extrapair fertilizations. Anim. Behav. 73, 15-27.
Delmore, K. E, Kleven, O., Laskemoen, T., Crowe, S. A., Lifjeld, J. T. & Robertson, R. J. 2008 Sex
allocation and parental quality in tree swallows. Behav. Ecol. 19, 1243-1249.
Dietrich-Bischoff, V., Schmoll, T., Winkel, W., Krackow, S. & Lubjuhn, T. 2006 Extra-pair paternity,
offspring mortality and offspring sex ratio in the socially monogamous coal tit (Parus ater).
Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 60, 563-571.
Dowling, D. K. & Mulder, R. A. 2006 Combined influence of maternal and paternal quality on sex
allocation in red-capped robins. J. Evol. Biol. 19, 440-449.
Dreiss, A., Richard, M., Moyen, F, White, J, Møller, A. P. & Danchin, E. 2006 Sex ratio and male
sexual characters in a population of blue tits, Parus caeruleus. Behav. Ecol. 17, 13-19.
Freeman-Gallant, C. R., Wheelwright, N. T., Meiklejohn, K. E. & Sollecito, S. V. 2006 Genetic
similarity, extrapair paternity, and offspring quality in savannah sparrows (Passerculus
sandwichensis). Behav. Ecol. 17, 952-958.
Johnsen, A., Anderson, V., Sunding, C. & Lifjeld, J. T. 2000 Female bluethroats enhance offspring
immunocompetence through extrapair copulations. Nature 406, 296-299.
Kempenaers, B., Verheyen, G. R. & Dhondt, A. A. 1997 Extrapair paternity in the blue tit (Parus
caeruleus): female choice, male characteristics, and offspring quality. Behav. Ecol. 8, 481-492.
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Kleven, O. & Lifjeld, J. T. 2004 Extrapair paternity and offspring immunocompetence in the reed
bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus. Anim. Behav. 68, 283-289.
Kraaijeveld, K., Ming, M., Komdeur, J. & Mulder, R. A. 2007 Offspring sex ratios in relation to mutual
ornamentation and extra-pair paternity in the black swan Cygnus atratus. Ibis 149, 79-85.
Leech, D. I., Hartley, I. R., Stewart, I. R. K., Griffith, S. C. & Burke. T. 2001 No effect of parental
quality or extrapair paternity on brood sex ratio in the blue tit (Parus caeruleus) Behav. Ecol. 12,
674-680.
Magrath, M. J. L., Green, D. J. & Komdeur, J. 2002 Sex allocation in the sexually monomorphic fairy
martin. J. Avian Biol. 33, 260-268.
Questiau, S., Escaravage, N., Eybert, M.-C. & Taberlet, P. 2000 Nestling sex ratios in a population of
bluethroats Luscinia svecica inferred from AFLPTM analysis, J. Avian Biol. 31, 8-14.
Ramsay, S. M., Mennill, D. J., Otter, K. A., Ratcliffe, L. M. & Boag, P. T. 2003 Sex allocation in the
black-capped chickadees Poecilie atricapillus. J. Avian Biol. 34, 134-139.
Rosivall, B., Szöllȍsi, E. Hasselquist, D. & Török, J. 2009 Effects of extrapair paternity and sex on
nestling growth and condition in the collared flycatcher, Ficedula albicollis. Anim. Behav. 77, 611617.
Saino, N., Ellegren, H. & Møller, A. P. 1999 No evidence for adjustment of sex allocation in relation to
paternal ornamentation and paternity in barn swallows. Molec. Ecol. 8, 399-406.
Sheldon, B. C. & Ellegren, H. 1996 Offspring sex and paternity in the collared flycatcher. Proc. R. Soc.
B 263, 1017-1021.
Suter, S. M., Keiser, M., Feignoux, R. & Meyer, D. R. 2007 Reed bunting females increase fitness
through extra-pair mating with genetically dissimilar males. Proc. R. Soc. B 274, 2865-2871.
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Westerdahl, H., Bensch, S., Hansson, B., Hasselquist, D. & VonSchantz, T. 1997 Sex ratio variation
among broods of great reed warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus. Molec. Ecol. 6, 543-548.
Westneat, D. F., Clark, A. B. & Rambo, K. C. 1995 Within-brood patterns of paternity and paternal
behavior in red-winged blackbirds. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 37, 349-356.
Whittingham, L. A. & Dunn, P. O. 2001 Survival of extrapair and within-pair young in tree swallows.
Behav. Ecol. 12, 496-500.
Whittingham, L. A. & Dunn, P. O. 2005 Effects of extra-pair and within-pair reproductive success on
the opportunity for selection in birds. Behav. Ecol. 16, 138-144.
Wilk, T., Cichoń, M, & Wolf, K. 2008 Lack of evidence for improved immune response of extra-pair
nestlings in collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis. J. Avian Biol. 39, 546-552.
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