Although mixed paternity in broods of young is now known to occur in m
any species of birds, the question remains, does mixed paternity refle
ct only a male strategy, or might it not also be a reproductive strate
gy of females? To address this question female red junglefowl, Gallus
gallus, in egg-laying condition were given the opportunity to mate rep
eatedly with either or both of two males, in the absence of male-male
competition. Over the course of five mating trials nearly all females
chose to mate with both available males, regardless of the appearance
of the males' plumage. Similarly, although females are known to prefer
males with larger combs, when the two males possessed combs of striki
ngly different sizes, most females mated with both individuals. These
results suggest that in this species a female reproductive strategy is
to obtain sperm from more than one male during production of a clutch
of eggs.