Territorial Behavior and Courtship of the Male Three-Wattled Bellbird

Abstract

-The Three-wattled Bellbird (Procnias tricarunculata) was studied for 7V2 weeks (April-June 1974) at Monteverde, Costa Rica. In the study area, measuring approximately 1,400 by 3,200 m, 13 adult males held territories from which they advertised themselves by loud calls for 83-93% of the daylight hours. The majority had a repertoire of three different calls. Evidence from a tape recording from Panama and descriptions from elsewhere in Costa Rica show that the Monteverde dialect is distinctive. Two individuals had part or all of their repertoire different from other Monteverde males but matching vocalizations from elsewhere. Males call from exposed perches above the canopy and from a special broken-off branch, the visiting perch, beneath the canopy. Calling males perform two displays involving flight, each preceded by a characteristic call. These displays and a silent wattle-shaking display are mainly performed when another bellbird visits a calling male. The visitors were usually females or immature males but occasionally adult males. At the climax of the visit, the territow-holding male leans over his visitor, perched at the broken-off end of the visiting perch, and utters some extremely loud calls into its ear. This usually makes the visitor leave. Both sexes receive the same treatment. During May and June, females were watched coming to the visiting perches of calling males on 20 different occasions, but none of these visits culminated in mating. The male's wattles are fully extended when he is calling in his territory, but are usually retracted when he leaves his territory to feed. During encounters between closely matched males, first one and then the other may extend the wattles and call. Bellbirds were seen feeding only on fruits, mainly drupes of the family Lauraceae but also other drupes, particu- larly a species of Rutaceae. An individual male feeding exclusively on the latter fruit took an average of 9.0 g of pericarp per hour. A comparison is made of the calls and displays of the four Procnias species, and it is suggested