Lifetime Reproductive Output of Male and Female Meadow Pipits Anthus pratensis

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Abstract
(1) During a 12-year population study in north-west germany the number of fledglings reared in a lifetime was determined for forty-nine male and thirty-three female meadow pipits. (2) The number of recruits descended from individual birds was significantly correlated with the number of (ringed) fledglings they produced, implying that lifetime reproductive output was a good measure of individual fitness. (3) Males produced an average of 6 .cntdot. 06, females an average of 6 .cntdot. 03, fledglings during their lifetime: these figures probably being slight underestimates. The proportion of males failing completely or producing very many offspring were significantly higher than in females. (4) For both males and females, longevity had more influence on lifetime reproduction than mean annual production. (5) A significant correlation between habitat quality and lifetime reproduction was found for males but not for females.

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