Fred et al.,
Several hypotheses have been put forward about why males winter farther
north then females in some species of waterfowl:
-- Size dimorphism and thermoregulation (surface area to volume ratio; males
are larger, and thus can tolerate colder temperatures)
-- Shorter distance to breeding grounds (advantage to first arrivals in
setting up territories)
-- Competitive exclusion of females
SORA (Searchable Ornithological Research Archive;
http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/ ;) is available for finding downloadable
primary research articles from the major ornithological journals.
Relevant publications include:
http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v082n04/p0406-p0416.pdf
http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v095n02/p0377-p0387.pdf
http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v113n02/p0505-p0511.pdf
Cheers,
Dan Kluza
Springfield, VA
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