What prompts female birds’ promiscuous behaviour?
London, May 1 (IANS) Female birds’ promiscuous behaviour breeds genetically better offspring that are also likely to do better in life, according to a new report. The discovery adds fuel to the debate about why some female birds seek those extra mates in the first place. “A diverse range of explanations has been proposed to account for female participation in extra-pair copulations,” said Michael Magrath of the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. “The explanations that have received most attention suggest that females stand to gain genetically superior offspring by having their eggs fertilised by males that are of higher genetic quality or that are genetically more compatible” said Magrath. Perhaps the most convincing evidence for this idea comes from the numerous studies that have reported the superior performance of offspring sired by extra-pair males compared to their half-siblings sired by the social partner. But new findings suggest that the superiority of such offspring mig
