Song Repertoires and Lifetime Reproductive Success in the Great Tit (Parus major)

Abstract

The song repertoires of breeding male great tits were recorded during 6 successive seasons and tested for correlations between repertoire size and reproductive success. Males with larger repertoires are more likely to survive to breed in a 2nd season. They are also more likely to father offspring which survive to breed. Lifetime reproductive success appears to be highest for males with intermediate-sized repertoires. Males with larger repertoires produce heavier fledglings and this may be related to territory quality.