OPHIR, A.G.*; GALEF, B.G. Jr.; McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario; McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario: Losers win in the end: Female Japanese quail that eavesdrop on fighting males prefer the losers

Much research has been dedicated to both study of female mate choice and to inter-male aggression. However, researchers have only recently begun to investigate their interaction. In a series of four experiments, we examined the relationship between male dominance and female preference in Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica. We found that female quail that had watched an aggressive interaction between a pair of males preferred the loser of an encounter to its winner. In contrast, females who had not witnessed an interaction but were allowed to choose between a pair of males who had just engaged in one showed no distinct preference for either winners or losers. This superficially perverse female preference for losers may be explained by the strong correlation we found between the success of a male in aggressive interactions with other males and the frequency with which he engaged in courtship behaviors that appeared potentially injurious to females. By choosing to affiliate with less-dominant males, female quail may lose direct and indirect benefits that would accrue from pairing with dominant males. However, they may also avoid the cost of interacting with potentially harmful, more aggressive males. Our findings also suggest that female Japanese quail attend to socially transmitted information about individuals rather than attending to distinctive physical traits or markers of dominance status.