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Female-biased sex allocation in peregrine falcons and other raptors

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Summary

The sex ratios of nestling Falconiformes in which males are smaller than females are often female biased, despite the apparent costs involved in producing very large female offspring. In Australian peregrine falcons, Falco peregrinus, this bias is most pronounced in broods produced early in the season, and the first eggs to be laid are most likely to produce females. Females that lay early are most likely to be successful breeders. Very large chicks tend to occur in female-biased broods. Collectively, these data suggest that females likely to produce large offspring produce daughters. A modified version of the Trivers/Willard hypothesis is suggested to account for this pattern.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Australian National University, GPO Box 4, ACT 2601, Canberra City, Australia

    Penny D. Olsent & Andrew Cockburn

  2. Division of Wildlife and Ecology, CSIRO, PO Box 84, ACT 2602, Lyneham, Australia

    Penny D. Olsent

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  1. Penny D. Olsent
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  2. Andrew Cockburn
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Olsent, P.D., Cockburn, A. Female-biased sex allocation in peregrine falcons and other raptors. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 28, 417–423 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00164123

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