Distant Drumming: morphological correlates of habitat and courtship behaviour in the Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)

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Date
2014-10-03
Authors
Krilow, Justin M.
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Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Neuroscience
Abstract
The Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) is a resident game bird of North America. Unlike other birds, male Ruffed Grouse do not vocalize during courtship, and are dependent upon ‘drumming’, a ‘wingbeat’ display, for the acoustic component of their courtship behaviour. Because this wingbeat display is unique, I investigated morphological correlates that could underlie its production. First, I examined wing shape among grouse from museum specimens using various morphometrics. I found that wing morphology corresponds with habitat, behaviour and phylogentic relationships within Tetraoninae. Next, I examined the brains of male and female Ruffed Grouse. I detected seasonal plasticity between males collected during the breeding and non-breeding seasons; those collected during the breeding season had larger motor regions than those collected during the non-breeding season. My findings indicate that habitat and wing shape are correlated among grouse, and that seasonal changes in brain morphology contribute to the production of the drumming display.
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Keywords
Avian brain, , courtship behaviour , geometric morphometrics , Ruffed Grouse , seasonal plasticity , wing shape
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