Citation
Social Control of Deception Among Status Signalling House Sparrows
TL;DR
Bib size predicts dominance rank
Classic research demonstrating that house sparrow throat bibs function as conventional badges of status maintained by social enforcement rather than production costs. Males with experimentally enlarged bibs were attacked by other males, showing how receivers punish dishonest signaling.
Key Findings from Møller (1987)
- Bib size predicts dominance rank
- Bib size not correlated with fighting ability
- Experimentally enlarged bibs trigger aggressive attacks
- Social enforcement maintains signal honesty