Sexual selection in the ring-necked pheasant: a review

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Abstract
The common pheasant, Phasianus colchicus, is now considered a classic example of the difficulty of establishing a clear distinction between inter- and intrasexual selection since a role for male spurs as cues used by females in mate choice has been reported. Field and experimental studies on sexual selection in the ring-necked pheasant show that the dimorphic morphological (and behavioural) male traits have a dual function according to the armament-ornament model. They are weapons or reliable signals of male quality directed both to females and rivals, and the relative importance between them depends on a suite of factors affecting the decision-making processes of females, including the outcome of male-male encounters. Different mechanisms and models of sexual selection have been suggested in order to classify the overall competitive strategies found in nature; but the amount of empirical data on the evolution of epigamic traits suggests that what determines the reproductive success of males is a complex suite of characters producing differences between individuals, on which the effects of inter-sexual, intra-sexual and natural selection are difficult to define.