The social organization of a sexually dimorphic honeyeater: the Crescent Honeyeater Phylidonyris pyrrhoptera, at Wilsons Promontory, Victoria

The social organization of the sexually dimorphic and dichromatic Crescent Honeyeater Phylidonyris pyrrhoptera (Latham 1801) was studied at Wilsons Pr omontory National Park between January 1994 and January 1997. All breeding attempts at one site were followed during the spring and summer of 1996. Mo st pairs were multibrooded, with pair-bonds maintained throughout the study . Breeding males held well-defined territories. Females, although generally restricting their activities to within their mate's territory, visited oth er males' territories more frequently than did their mates and did so close to the time of egg laying, Males aggressively chased intruding males, but appeared to permit intrusions by non-mate females. Circumstantial evidence suggests some males may kill neighbour's nestlings. Female Crescent Honeyea ters are solely responsible for nest construction and incubation. While bot h sexes attended nestlings, males contributed to parental care significantl y less than females. Males also provided significantly less parental care t han has been reported for monomorphic species of honeyeater. Single syllabl e calls are given throughout the year. Peaks in the rate of double and mult isyllable calls corresponded with peaks in breeding activity. Only males we re observed uttering loud multisyllable calls. In cona-ast to predictions a rising from sexual selection theory and observations of the mating system o f sexually dimorphic hummingbirds, the population of Crescent Honeyeaters s tudied exhibited a socially monogamous mating system. However, the very lim ited male role in parental care and non-observance of male territory bounda ries by females suggest the genetic mating system may not be one of monogam y.