DO SUBORDINATES EXPOSE THEMSELVES TO PREDATION - FIELD EXPERIMENTS ONFEEDING SITE SELECTION BY WILLOW TITS

To examine the relationship between social dominance and exposure to p redation risk, we allowed natural groups of Willow Tits Parus montanus to choose between two nearby feeding sites differing in safety. The b irds preferred to feed at the safe site. Socially dominant individuals used safe sites more than did subordinates. However, adult females ma ted with alpha males, used safe sites more than expected from their ra nk, possibly as a result of protection offered by their mates. Subordi nates increased their use of safe sites after experimental removal of dominants implying that the greater risk-taking of subordinates in nat ural flocks is due to interference from dominants. The observed patter n of risk-taking at feeders may influence survival also in natural con ditions, because dominants survive better than subordinates, as docume nted earlier for this population.