BIO

My name is Jake Albrighton and I am currently a freshman here at FSU. I am majoring in Biological sciences and was excited to undertake the UROP program not only to gain experience in research, but also to open doors to future career endeavors. The research with Dr. DuVal and Pearl Rivers has been extremely fulfilling and I am excited to tackle more research in the future.

How Does Female Presence Affect Male Bill Swiping in Lance-Tailed Manakins

Abstract

Abstract
The research I am conducting pertains to the behavior of the lance-tailed manakin(Chiroxiphia lanceolata) and the potential causation for a behavior known as bill swiping in which the bird swipes it’s bill on their dance perch where they perform mating dances. The purpose of the study is then to identify the reason for the bill swiping considering the cause is somewhat unknown between multiple theories. The question the research is trying to answer is what causes male lance-tailed manakins to bill swipe on the dance perch. My hypothesis is that the cause for bill swiping is due to excitement at the presence of a female in the vicinity which causes the birds bill swipe. To answer this question, I have been reviewing video footage of the birds and will investigate to discover if bill swiping among males is more prevalent when a female is nearby. This research is natural and uniquely obtained as well because the lab research takes place in Panama as field research rather than a lab which allows the team to procure organic behavior.

Keywords: Sexual selection, birds, reproduction, bill swipe