Dominance Relationships of Black-Capped Chickadees and Their Changing Nature with the Onset of Spring
Abstract
Black-capped Chickadees (Parus atricapillus) were studied
near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the transitional period of the year
1986 (February-April) during which time the birds began to move
from the non-breeding winter flocks into the breeding.
territories. Dominance hierarchies were constructed and compared
in order to detect any systematic trends that could result from
hormonal and social changes. These hierarchies were correlated
with age and feeding frequency to see if any relationship existed
between these two factors. Flock structure and dominance
relationships are discussed in an effort to explain the data.