ON THE INTERSEXUAL SELECTION FOR SPURS IN THE RING-NECKED PHEASANT

The spurs of male ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), as in ot her Galliformes, have been classically considered as weapons used in f ighting, and are therefore subjects of intrasexual selection. However, there is a debate on their possible role as cues in female choice, an d hence in intersexual selection. We studied a group of pheasants in c aptivity over 3 years and found that (1) females did not show any pref erence on experimentally manipulated spur lengths; (2) the spur length was positively correlated with physical condition and weight for juve nile males, and with wattle display and dominance when adults; (3) spu r length showed a directional (not fluctuating) asymmetry; and (4) the repeatability of spur length between years was highly significant. Th ese results do not provide any support to the hypothesis that spur len gth has a role in intersexual selection.