*———(1959) “Die Balz der Schmuckvogel (Pipridae) [The Mating Ritual of Jewel Birds].”
*Snow, D. W. (1976)
———(1971) “Social Organization of the Blue-backed Manakin.”
*———(1963) “The Display of the Blue-backed Manakin,
IDENTIFICATION: Small (5–7 inch) birds with brown and rufous plumage and a bluish gray patch around the eyes; Ocellateds have a distinctive scalloped pattern on the back feathers. DISTRIBUTION: Central America and northwestern South America from Honduras to Ecuador. HABITAT: Rain forest undergrowth. STUDY AREA: Barro Colorado Island, Panama.
Social Organization
Antbirds get their name because they follow large swarms of army ants for food, often in flocks containing several different bird species. Both Bicolored and Ocellated Antbirds form monogamous pairs that are generally long-lasting. In addition, Ocellated Antbirds live in a complex extended family or “clan” structure, typically containing up to three generations of males and their mates. Females emigrate from these units to join other clans, while males often return to their extended family once they have found mates.
Description
Nonreproductive and Alternative Heterosexualities
In both Bicolored and Ocellated Antbirds, significant numbers of birds are nonbreeding. As many as 45 percent of adult Bicolored males may not be heterosexually paired in any given year, and some males fail to acquire a mate for six or more years in a row. Younger males may delay their reproductive careers for up to a year after reaching sexual maturity—by remaining “at home” in their clans (Ocellateds) or wandering solitarily (Bicoloreds). In addition, male Antbirds have been known to live to a relatively old age—more than 11 years in Bicoloreds and Ocel- lateds. For a few individuals who have lost their female partners (either through death or divorce), this may be a postreproductive period in their lives. In addition to females leaving their mates for younger males, divorce and mate-switching also occasionally happen in adult Bicolored and newly paired Ocellated Antbirds. Often, a divorce is initiated by “extramarital” courtship between a mated female and an unpaired male. The extended families of Ocellated Antbirds also sometimes break up: heterosexual pairs wander off from the clan if they have not been able to breed successfully, or grandparents isolate themselves from their relatives. Heterosexual relations within a pair are not always smooth either: in Bicoloreds, for example, males are often distinctly hostile to their female mates. This is especially true early in their pair-bond, when he may aggressively “blast” her off her perch with hissing and snapping. Female Ocellated Antbirds have also been observed steadfastly refusing the courtship and copulatory advances of males. Finally, a number of incestuous activities have been documented in these species, including courtship and attempted copulation between Ocellated males and their mothers, and courtship of Bicolored daughters by their fathers.
Willis, E.O. (1983) “Longevities of Some Panamanian Forest Birds, with Note of Low Survivorship in Old Spotted Antbirds (
*———(1973)
*———(1972)
*———(1967)
IDENTIFICATION: A small (5 inch), plain olive-green bird with a long tail and an ocher- or tawny- colored lower breast. DISTRIBUTION: From Mexico south to the Amazon in South America; Trinidad and Tobago. HABITAT: Humid lowland forests, open shrubbery. STUDY AREA: Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica; subspecies
Social Organization
Ocher-bellied Flycatchers have a complex social organization, with three distinct categories of males. About 42 percent of males are TERRITORIAL, defending “courts” in the foliage within which they perform courtship displays; sometimes groups of two to six territorial males display close to each other in a LEK formation. Another 10