Dunnock two or three adjacent female territories overlap one male territory, and so polygyny is favored, with the male monopolising several females. Polygynandry also exists, in which two males jointly defend a territory containing several females. Polyandry, though, is the most common mating system of dunnocks found in nature. Depending on the population, males generally have the best reproductive success in polygynous populations, while females have the advantage during polyandry. Studies have illustrated the fluidity of dunnock mating systems. When given food in abundance, female territory size is reduced drastically. Consequently, males can more easily monopolise the females. Thus, the mating
Common redpoll Common redpoll The common redpoll ("Acanthis flammea") is a species of bird in the finch family. It breeds somewhat further south than the Arctic redpoll, also in habitats with thickets or shrubs. The common redpoll was listed in 1758 by Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his "Systema Naturae" under the binomial name "Fringilla flammea". The current genus name "Acanthis" is from the Ancient Greek "akanthis", a name for a small now-unidentifiable bird, and "flammea" is the Latin for "flame-coloured". The common redpoll was previously placed in the genus "Carduelis". Molecular phylogenetic studies showed that the Arctic and common redpolls