Summary
We tested two hypotheses to explain territorial dominance in male birds. Male red-winged blackbirds were removed from their territories for 7 d and then released after replacement owners had held their territories 2 to 7 d. Original owners regained territories from short-term replacements, but could not defeat 6 to 7 d replacements. This outcome suggests that replacement males relinquished their territories to persistent original owners after 2 to 3 d of ownership because the territory lacked sufficient value to them, but not after 7 d, when its value was greater. This result supports the Value Asymmetry Hypothesis of territorial dominance and provides strong evidence in birds that differences in the extent of knowledge of or investment in an area and, hence, willingness to escalate contests, contribute to territorial dominance.
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Beletsky, L.D., Orians, G.H. Territoriality among male red-winged blackbirds. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 24, 333–339 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290910
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290910