Some
species of birds do not form pair bonds; but instead consort
only briefly -- for minutes or hours. The male's investment
in offspring is limited to sperm, and the female raises the
young alone. Male hummingbirds, for instance, court females
for a short time, mate, and then resume their quest for
other females. Males of many grouse species and some
shorebirds display on leks (mating grounds used each year)
to attract females that depart immediately after mating. The
males may subsequently mate with additional females. Such
mating systems, in which no pair bond is formed, are termed
promiscuous. Presumably promiscuous mating systems can
evolve only where the advantage of the male remaining with
the female to help in raising the young is
negligible. SEE: Monogamy;
Polygyny;
Cooperative
Breeding;
Parental
Care. Copyright
® 1988 by Paul R. Ehrlich, David S. Dobkin, and Darryl
Wheye.