Habitat segregation between the sexes of wintering hooded warblers ( Wilsonia citrina).

Abstract

Overwintering male and female Wilsonia citrina defended exclusive feeding territories in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Woody vegetation ranging from successional scrub to tall evergreen forest was utilized, but males were most abundant in closed-canopy forest of moderate to tall stature, while females were commonest in lower, more open vegetation. The pattern of plumage variation in females suggests that females with malelike melanistic plumage tend to locate their territories in the kind of habitat occupied by males. - Authors