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Display Of An Inedible Prop As A Signal Of Aggression? Adaptive Significance Of Leaf-Display By The Turquoise-Browed Motmot, Eumomota Superciliosa, Troy G. Murphy
Biology Faculty Research
The incorporation of an inedible object (prop) into a behavioral display is rare among birds. Only four avian taxa have been reported to display with a prop, and in all studied species, prop use has been found to play a role in mate acquisition. However, little is known about the context and adaptive significance of prop use by the motmots. Both male and female motmots perform a leaf-display, whereby a leaf is held horizontally in the tip of the bill for an extended period. I collected observational data on leaf-display by the turquoise-browed motmots (Eumomota superciliosa) to investigate …