Supplementary testosterone inhibits paternal care in a tropically breeding sparrow, Zonotrichia capensis

In most male birds that exhibit paternal care, elevation in testosterone above the breeding baseline reduces nestling provisioning, which can be detrimental to offspring survival. Mechanisms that may allow some males to avoid this detrimental effect of elevated testosterone include (1) decreased sensitivity to testosterone's effects on behavior and (2) uncoupling of testosterone secretion from territorial challenges (thus reducing the number of transient elevations in testosterone above the breeding baseline). Both of these "cost-avoidance" mechanisms have been documented, but whether selection for these mechanisms is correlated or independent is unknown. We investigated the relationship between elevated testosterone and paternal care in a tropical bird, the rufous-collared sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis). Zonotrichia capensis males exhibit an uncoupling of testosterone secretion from territorial aggression, and this species has a flexible breeding season and a clutch size smaller than those of temperate congeners. We implanted males with testosterone or empty implants and observed paternal behavior 2-3 and 6-7 d posthatch. During both observation periods, 100% of control males fed chicks, whereas 22% and 0% of testosterone-implanted males fed chicks on days 2-3 and 6-7, respectively. Chicks of testosterone-implanted males weighed less than control chicks, but tarsus growth, wing growth, and fledging success did not differ. Thus, we demonstrate a robust negative effect of testosterone on nestling provisioning that may not ultimately affect reproductive success. We suggest that these results relate to extreme flexibility in breeding schedule and the small clutch size in this tropical species. Our data also suggest that selection for the two mechanisms to avoid deleterious effects of elevations in testosterone above the breeding baseline likely occurs independently.