Social dominance, male behaviour and mating in mixed-sex flocks of red jungle fowl

In mixed-sex flocks of red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus), both males and fema les form dominance hierarchies, and male-male aggression and female choice can influence mating success. If females prefer the dominant male, there is no conflict between intra- and intersexual selection. We studied captive B ecks consisting of two males and three females. In 1998, dominant males had larger combs than subordinate males in most flocks, while in 1999, comb si ze did nut differ between dominant and subordinate males. The dominant male crowed more and performed more wing R:lps than the subordinate male, but b oth males performed an equal number of tidbits and waltzes. The dominant ma le obtained more copulations than the subordinate male. When the dominant m ale had the larger comb, females of all ranks preferred to mate with and as sociated with the dominant male. When the subordinate male had the larger c omb, primary and secondary females mated with the dominant male while terti ary females: mated more often with the subordinate male, and female associa tion with a male did not predict mating. Males with large combs are preferr ed by females and tend to become dominant, but females seem to prefer males with large combs even when these males are subordinate.