Male-male sexual behavior in Japanese quail: Being “on top” reduces mating and fertilization with females

• The reproductive consequences of same-sex sexual behavior are unclear.
• Male quail engage in vigorous sexual interactions with other males.
• Such interactions reduce mating and fertilization success of the male “on top”.
• Whereas receiving a cloacal contact from another male does not.
• The interactions may be an occasionally costly by-product of strong mating motivation.

Male Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) engage in vigorous same-sex sexual interactions that have been interpreted as aggressive behavior reflecting dominance relationships. The consequences of this behavior for reproductive success, and whether it is a form of competition over mating and fertilization, are unclear. Three experiments were conducted to determine the effect of seeing or interacting with another male on a male's subsequent mating and fertilization success with females. A vigorous interaction with another male in which the subject performed more cloacal contact movements (movements to try to make contact with the other bird's cloacal opening) reduced subsequent mating and fertilization success with a female to a similar extent as a prior mating with a different female. Receiving one or more cloacal contacts from another male was less detrimental for subsequent success. The mere presence of another (stimulus) male delayed mating initiation in those male subjects that approached the stimulus first instead of the female. These results do not support the idea that the male “on top” in male–male sexual interactions is the dominant bird who goes on to achieve greater reproductive success. Instead, the results are consistent with male–male sexual behavior as an occasionally costly by-product of strong mating motivation.

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