A migratory sparrow has personality in winter that is independent of other traits

Small birds in winter face trade-offs between predation risk and foraging, alternate life-history strategies may arise from these trade-offs. Animal personality shows similarities with alternative strategies, using a context to understand can provide valuable insights. Golden-crowned sparrows, Zonotrichia atricapilla, small migratory bird, have complex social system high site-fidelity, long-term associations individuals competition mediated by badges of status. We asked whether golden-crowned sparrows show personalities during winter, were consistent over 3 years they correlated morphological traits. found that had highly repeatable behaviours, as measured captive behavioural assessments, constituting within one season time for up years, span covers the average life sparrows. While repeatability was present, it varied considerably among different behaviours spans, length measures did not predict magnitude repeatability. Two movement-based aspects sparrow independent traits we (dominance, status, size age). However, nonsong vocalizations (a aspect personality) wing gold badge some years. Because strongly link measured, could represent separate axis variation might connect other parameters such response or survival.