Females Are More Aggressive Than Males towards Same- and Opposite-Sex Intruders in the Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus).

ABSTRACT: During the breeding season, aggression is expressed to gain access to resources such as territories and mates and protect offspring. Female aggressiveness has received much less attention than male aggressiveness, and few studies have examined female and male aggressiveness towards intruders of both sexes in the same species. We compared female and male aggressiveness towards same- and opposite-sex intruders during the egg-laying period in blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) using simulated territorial intrusions. For each sex, we examined the occurrence of different behavioural responses during agonistic encounters, and compared the intensity and individual consistency of intra- and inter-sexual aggression using same- and opposite-sex taxidermy mounts. Our results show that females are

SUBMITTER: Boiten G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9951734 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature