ASSORTATIVE MATING IN FALCONS - DO BIG FEMALES PAIR WITH BIG MALES

Several raptors have been shown to mate assortatively, most commonly a ccording to age, less often in relation to various linear measurements . This paper demonstrates positive assortative mating for winglength i n three falcons: the Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus, Brown Falcon F . berigora and Nankeen Kestrel F. cenchroides. Because females showed greater variation in winglength than did males, larger females formed more dimorphic pairs than smaller females. The results suggest a possi ble link between assortative mating and dimorphism.