Why does a buddy help another male flirt?

From Oaxaca, Mexico, at a meeting of the Animal Behavior Society

Male lance-tailed manakins put on a two-guy show when courting females, but only the alpha bird reaps the immediate benefits when the performance succeeds, says a new study.

So, what’s in it for the sidekick? An earlier study in a different species of manakin suggested that courtship cooperation gave the unrequited sidekick a benefit in the form of real estate.