What benefits would females gain from mating with less able males in bird biology if?

Question

females in this population chose mails on the basis of ability to survive

Answer 1

Sexual selection does exist outside the birds, so the rules apply generally.

Females need to invest in reproduction while they are most able. So, even if they are unable to secure the most attractive male it is better to reproduce and have some chance of passing on your genes than to delay reproduction.

However, even if it is a male of lower fitness attending the nest, extra-pair copulation in birds is very common and a female may secure matings from fitter males and some of his eggs will be in the clutch, so that is a second way in which a female can increase her own reproductive effort.

Answer 2

Animals do not think that far ahead.  They mate with the fittest available.

Answer 3

This question confuses me, but I'll attempt it. My apologies if I've misunderstood your request.

The only possible real-life example of this that I can think of is the peacock method of selection. Females prefer the male with the longest tail, even though that long tail makes him easier to kill. It slows him down, gets tangled in the underbrush, and if a predator catches him by the tail he's dead.

So why do the peahens choose the most handicapped, longest-tailed male? Because if he can survive while dragging that massive tail behind, he must be incredibly fit. The peacock population has evolved to understand that a long tail indicates a male with a talent for survival. The benefit gained by the female here is that her offspring should inherit the genes that helped him survive.

I hope that's what you're looking for.

Answer 4

The most intelligent question of the day ... or is it?  Are you assuming that birds have a mandate to actually select less able male birds to mate with?  Survival of the fittest surely points to mating with fitter mates, surely?   Where is your question going ...?