Global incidence of female birdsong is predicted by territoriality and biparental care in songbirds

Abstract

Pronounced sexual dimorphism is generally assumed to evolve through sexual selection for elaborate male traits. However, there is increasing evidence that sexual dimorphism in traits such as birdsong may also evolve through loss of elaboration in females, but the evolutionary drivers underlying this process are obscure. Here we analyse ecological and natural history traits for over 1300 songbird species and show that increased female song incidence and elaboration are most directly associated with year-round territoriality, biparental care, and large body size. Phylogenetic path analysis indicates that mating system and breeding latitude primarily have indirect effects on female song evolution. Stable, tropical life histories and mating systems with biparental care promote female song, whereas evolutionary transitions to migration, reduced territoriality, and loss of male care led to losses or reductions of female song incidence. Our analyses provide a comprehensive framework for studying the drivers of sex differences and similarities in birdsong and reveal novel interactions among natural history and sexual selection pressures that have been hypothesized to independently shape elaborate traits.