CLOACAL INSPECTION OR PECKING IN ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD

Abstract

Cloacal pecking, in which a male pecks at the cloaca of a female, causing her to void sperm, was first described in the Dunnock (Prunella modularis), a species with a very complex group-breeding system (Davies 1983). It has been interpreted as a mechanism whereby males ensure paternity of a female's offspring by eliminating the sperm of previous mates.