Male satin bowerbird problem-solving ability predicts mating success

• Published in: Animal behaviour Vol. 78; no. 4; pp. 809 - 817
• Main Authors: Keagy, Jason, Savard, Jean-François, Borgia, Gerald
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2009; Elsevier; Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Ltd
• Subjects: Animal behavior; Animal cognition; Animal ethology; Animal reproduction; Attraction; Aves; Biological and medical sciences; Birds; cognitive evolution; cognitive performance; female choice; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; male reproductive success; Ornithology; problem-solving ability; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Ptilonorhynchus violaceus; satin bowerbird; sexual selection; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; cognitive evolution; male reproductive success; problem-solving ability; sexual selection; satin bowerbird; cognitive performance; female choice; Ptilonorhynchus violaceus; Choice; Sexual selection; Cognitive ability; Male; Cognition; Reproduction; Vertebrata; Breeding success; Problem solving; Evolution; Female; Aves; Predictive factor
• ISSN: 0003-3472; 1095-8282
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.07.011

Mate choice and mate attraction are important behaviours influencing the evolution of elaborate traits. It is possible that male general cognitive performance plays an important role in sexual attractiveness, but there has been no direct test of this hypothesis. Satin bowerbirds,
Ptilonorhynchus violaceus, are an excellent species for testing this hypothesis because their complex male courtship, including use of decorations of certain colours, suggests a selective advantage to individuals with superior cognitive abilities. We used males' strong aversion to red objects on their bowers to design two unique problem-solving tests. We presented males with these problems to test the hypothesis that males that are better problem-solvers have higher mating success. We confirmed this prediction and demonstrate that neither age nor motivational level significantly influenced problem-solving scores. Our findings suggest that general cognitive performance is related to male mating success. This is the first evidence that individuals with better problem-solving abilities are more sexually attractive.