Aggressive and bold White-rumped Swallows provision less for their offspring

Personalities are consistent behavioral differences between individuals. The path leading from personalities to fitness may involve other animal traits, and so, it is important to discover which traits exist that correlate to personalities. Here we will investigate if common personality traits (aggressiveness, boldness and exploration) influence territory quality and parental provisioning behavior of white-rumped swallows (Tachycineta leucorrhoa) breeding in nest-boxes in southern Brazil. Behavioral assays were performed by exposing breeding pairs up to four times throughout the nest cycle to a human, a conspecific lure and a novel nest-box. Territory quality was measured based on frequency of nest-box occupation, while parental provisioning was measured with the aid of passive-integrated transponders installed at nest-boxes during the nestling period. We show that aggressiveness and boldness can be considered a personality, but exploration of nest-boxes cannot, because it is not a consistent behavior nor does it vary between individuals. No relationship between personalities and territory quality was found, while more aggressive and bolder individuals provision their nestlings at lower rates. So, some individuals invest more in nest defense against conspecifics and predators, while others invest more in food provisioning for offspring. It remains to be seen how these trade-offs in investment translate into nest survival and quality of offspring.