Generally,in cases of polygamy,male birds are smaller and more colorful (but at greater risk to predators)while females are larger (with more nutritional resources)and duller colored (and therefore more camouflaged).In such a system,the female invests much in her young while the male tries to spread his genes as much as possible.In the opposite and very rare system of polyandry,the male may invest in caring for his young in one nest while the female does not care for the young but travels around to court males and spread her genes as much as possible.In such a case,we should expect

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In polyandrous systems, it is the male bird that invests more in caring for the young while the female tries to mate with multiple males. Therefore, we would expect the male bird to be larger (to provide more resources for the young) and camouflaged (to protect itself and the young from predators while in the nest).

Generally,in Cases of Polygamy,male Birds Are Smaller and More Colorful