The use of
multiple signals during contest competition, however,
has received much less theoretical or empirical attention
than female preferences for multiple male traits in mate
choice (reviewed in Candolin 2003). Males may use multiple
signals in agonistic interactions because different signals
may convey different information regarding an
opponent’s fighting ability (‘multiple messages’), thereby
facilitating accurate opponent assessment (see also Møller
& Pomiankowski 1993; Johnstone 1996; Ord et al. 2001).
Alternatively, some signals may be redundant or serve as
‘backup signals’, each reflecting the same rather than different
aspects of opponent quality with some error (Møller