By Susan Milius
From Oaxaca, Mexico, at a meeting of the Animal Behavior Society
Male lance-tailed manakins put on a two-guy show when courting females, but only the alpha bird reaps the immediate benefits when the performance succeeds, says a new study.
So, what’s in it for the sidekick? An earlier study in a different species of manakin suggested that courtship cooperation gave the unrequited sidekick a benefit in the form of real estate. If the alpha male disappears, his beta buddy often takes over their habitual display ground.