Song strophe-length and reproductive success in a non-passerine bird, the Hoopoe Upupa epops

Hoopoe Upupa epops males produce a very simple song, with a repertoire size of one, in which the main difference between different strophes of a male and between the songs of different males is the number of elements they include (strophe‐length). In several passerine species it has been shown that strophe‐length is a sexually selected trait that reflects male quality and correlates with reproductive success. Here we analyse whether in a non‐passerine, the Hoopoe, strophe‐length of males is correlated with several variables of their reproductive success. Females paired with males singing long strophes laid their first clutch earlier, produced larger first clutches and laid second clutches after a successful first one more frequently than those paired with males singing short strophes. Moreover, males with long strophes produced more fledglings in their first clutches and in the whole season, partly because they brought more food for the brood than males with short strophes. The relationships found are not mediated by age effects. Previously we have shown that Hoopoe females in the early spring are attracted preferentially to songs with long strophes. Here we show that males singing long strophes also obtain postpairing benefits in terms of reproductive success, and that females paired with these males obtain direct benefits because these males provide greater feeding effort in the second half of the nestling period. These findings support the hypothesis that in the Hoopoe, strophe‐length is a sexually selected cue under direct selection.