Summary
Testing predictions of mate-choice models often requires knowing the time a female settles in a particular territory. Because the effort necessary to observe settlement usually precludes direct observation of a large sample of females, researchers often rely on indices of settlement such as the onset of egg laying or nest building (e.g. Crawford 1977, Orians 1980, Yasukawa 1981, Yasukawa and Searcy 1981, Roskaft and Jarvi 1983, Alatalo et al. 1984, Muldal et al. 1985, Leonard and Picman 1986, Wooten et al. 1986, Lightbody and Weatherhead in press). Obviously, the reliability of those indices are of critical importance. We report on two studies that assessed the reliability of indices of female settlement. We also attempt to determine the factors that influence reliability in our own and in previously published studies to provide guidelines for future studies that use such indices.
Methodology
This study was conducted between 1 April and 18 May 1986 near the Queen's University Biological Station in eastern Ontario. We monitored 17 territories daily to detect the settlement of first females. Because females were unbanded, we defined the day on which a female was seen on a particular territory and on all subsequent visits as the settlement date. All territories were located along roadsides and shared no boundaries with other territories, thereby making the determination of the presence or or absence of a female on a territory unambiguous.