Captain Cormorant wrote:
>Hi Tweeters; I'm brand new on the bulletin board. Just call

>me Captain Cormorant. Anybody out there want to communicate

>about "Rhinos"? Do the females develop any sign of a
>proboscis on their upper mandible?

I believe adults of both sexes develop these breeding ornaments. In
Crested Auklets, such ornaments are appreciated by both sexes, i.e., males
prefer large-crested females just as females prefer large-crested males
(Jones & Hunter 1993; Nature 362:238).


It is tempting to speculate that auklet bill-adornments were selected for
to amplify the visual signal of competence that a billful of fish must
send to other auklets.


David Wright
dwright at u.washington.edu