Bigamy in a Male Mockingbird

Tropical Mockingbird (Mimus gilvus) Science Article 1

abstract

Like many passerine species, the Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is thought to be highly monogamous. Laskey (1935, Auk 52: 370), for example, reports perennial pair bonding between identified males and females, even though the female may leave for the fall and return to the same male during the subsequent breeding season. We report here a case of bigamy coupled with a decrease in parental commitmenti n a male Mockingbird, precipitated by the disappearance of a male territorial neighbor.

CHERYL A. LOGAN AND MARY RULLI, The Auk, VOl. 98(2), pp. 385-386

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