Prior residency as a key determinant of social dominance in the willow tit (Parus montanus)

Summary We studied how age, body size and prior residency affected social dominance in the willow tit (Parus montanus) groups. The contribution of each variable was experimentally tested in unisexual two-bird trials, in which the birds were matched for all variables except the one studied. Large birds were dominant over smaller ones (Fig. 1). The effect of body size was more prominent in males than in females. Age had no influence on dominance. Residents became dominant more often than newcomers (Fig. 2). Adulthood or larger body size did not override the advantage of prior residency (Fig. 2). Therefore, the proximate reason for the age-dependent dominance seen in natural willow tit flocks is most likely the prior residency advantage of the adults. Factors connected with fighting ability (body size and age) seem to be less important than the time of establishment of rank, which may reflect the importance of resource value differences between residents and newcomers in this context. The advantage of residency might make it advantageous to be a member of a flock even as a subordinate, rather than being solitary.