Mate choice for multiple ornaments in the California quail, Callipepla californica

Two processes that may be important in the evolution of multiple ornaments are (1) preference flexibility based on the distribution of local traits and (2) preferences for composite (versus partitioned) traits. To examine the occurrence of these processes we conducted three experiments measuring the mate preferences of California quail. We included analyses of composite traits as well as the partitioned traits (isolated patches of coloration) typically invoked in ornithological descriptions. In two experiments, in which the same pool of wild-caught females was presented pairs of males with natural versus experimentally exaggerated traits, the focus of mate choice shifted to the trait specifically exaggerated in that experiment. In a third experiment, in which females were presented males displaying natural plumage variation, females chose primarily based on a composite trait (as revealed using stepwise analysis). Composite traits were also found to be stronger predictors of female behaviour in one of the manipulation experiments. These results indicate that female California quail have active, flexible mate preferences for a variety of novel and extant traits and illustrate the importance of incorporating composite traits into the analysis of mate preferences. (C) 2003 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.