HABITAT SELECTION AND POLYGYNY IN BREEDING CORN BUNTINGS MILIARIA-CALANDRA

Unlike many other polygynous passerine species, female Corn Buntings M iliaria calandra apparently do not suffer costs by pairing polygynousl y, yet it is unclear whether this is because polygynous males hold the highest quality territories or because pairing with polygynous males is unimportant in determining female reproductive success, Male Corn B untings on North Uist, Scotland, consistently defended territories whi ch contained nesting habitat, and females often foraged outside male t erritories when provisioning nestlings. Females showed strong preferen ces for nesting in uncultivated land, and 80% of nests were under Hogw eed Heracleum sphondylium, possibly because this provided cover agains t predation and the weather. When provisioning nestlings, females show ed strong preferences for foraging in cereal crops, probably because t his habitat provided better food resources and/or better cover from pr edators. Males were unpaired or paired with one to three females per b reeding season, but variation in territory size or vegetation composit ion did not explain differences in the number of females paired with i ndividual males, We suggest that when females neither gain benefits no r suffer costs by breeding polygynously, and males do not differ great ly in the areas of habitat selected, polygyny can arise through random female settlement within the nesting habitat.