Additionally, the dependency of competitive success on body size (Odreitz, 2012) suggests that in the field, territorial contests will result in a correlation between territory quality and male body size (Yanagisawa & Nishida, 1991).
Agricultural and township expansions deteriorated territory quality and reduced breeding success.
Black kite nest decorations are honest signals of individual and territory quality.
Through multiple manipulative experiments, we showed that objects used for nest decoration by a territorial raptor, the black kite (Milvus migrans), act as reliable threats to conspecifics, revealing the viability, territory quality, and conflict dominance of the signaler.
When the male population density is low and males maintain clearer, more distinct territories, female choice is mostly determined by territory quality.
In addition, caches also can advertise the quality of a male and/or its territory quality to females.
Arrival order of males translates to differences in territory quality, as early arrival is generally known to lead to the occupation of prime breeding sites [34].
By enhancing territory quality, supplementary food should increase body condition and productivity of adult females, thus improving the reproductive output of the population.
Testing this argument could be difficult in situations where male attractiveness is confounded with territory quality [57], but this does not seem to apply to male FPS in the population considered here [58].
Moreover, we also assessed the role of territory quality, because males occupying nest boxes of superior quality may take higher risk and prefer advertising close to these nest sites.
Personality may also be related to territory quality, as boldness and exploratory behaviour positively correlate with aggression that can be translated into competitive success in territory settlements [18], [38].
