Polygyny in the Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus in Swedish Lapland

Abstract

The breeding sex ratio of Willow Warblers Phylloscopus trochilus in a subalpine birch forest was strongly female biased. Very few territorial males remained unmated and most became polygynous. Bigyny was the rule, but some males probably had three females. Male assistance at secondary nests varied and was probably dependent on temporal distance between the females' nests. There was no significant reduction in reproductive output for these females. Variation in the sex ratio of breeding birds can be explained, at least partly, by variation in the timing of male settlement.