FEMALE BLUETHROATS PREFER MALES WITH SYMMETRICAL COLOR BANDS

Fluctuating asymmetry in male ornaments may be related to male quality and therefore may be used by females as a guide in mate choice. Exper iments on different species have shown female preferences for symmetry , but few previous studies have addressed preferences for symmetry in coloration. Using the bluethroat, Luscinia s. svecica, a passerine wit h a conspicuous blue and chestnut throat patch, as a model species, we devised an experiment in which the females could choose between males with either symmetric or asymmetric coloured leg bands. The females a ssociated more with symmetric than asymmetric males, indicating a pref erence for symmetry. (C) 1997 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.