Morphological Traits and Body Condition Determine Assortative Mating in Grey-capped Greenfinch

Abstract

We investigated morphological differences between sexes, and mating patterns respect to their body size and condition in a wild population of the grey-capped greenfinch Chloris sinica. The results showed that male birds with significant longer bill and wing than female; breeding pairs assortative mated positively by culmen height, wing length, body mass and body condition. We argued that the body condition of greenfinches may be important in mutual mate choice. Male air courtship and incubation feeding behaviour provide evidence that female mate choice may be responsible for sexual dimorphism of bill size and wing length. Mutual mate choice and life histories may be responsible for non-randomly mating pattern by body condition, high quality individual prefer to mate with each other.