Effects of avian malaria on male behaviour and female visitation in lekking blue-crowned manakins

Avian malaria, the infection by blood parasites of the genus Plasmodium , can reduce host fitness not only through mortality, but also by impairing the expression of sexual selection traits. Although different studies highlight the association of parasitism with a decrease in host reproductive success, few studies have addressed the role of parasites in honest signalling by lekking species. Hence, it is still uncertain which fitness components...