Allometry of the Duration of Flight Feather Molt in Birds

Rohwer, Sievert; Ricklefs, Robert E.; Rohwer, Vanya G.; Copple, Michelle M.

doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000132

Cited by 158 publications

(181 citation statements)

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“…However, there is not enough evidence to conclude that the Rock Pigeon has multiple waves of primary replacement, as found in many large birds (LANGSTON & ROHWER 1995, PYLE 2005, EDWARDS & ROHWER 2005. Most birds with body mass lower than 1kg (like the Rock Pigeon) replace all of their primaries annually, whereas most species weighting more than 3kg molt their primaries over two or more years (ROHWER et al 2009). Several species of Ptilinopus and Columbina doves often have two runs of new primaries that are separated by older primaries, but are not multiple waves of primary replacement (ROHWER & WANG 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Replacement and growth of primary feathers in captive rock pigeons, Columba livia (Aves: Columbidae)

Mallet-Rodrigues

2012

Zoologia (Curitiba)

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ABSTRACT. The replacement and growth of 311 primary feathers of eight captive male rock pigeons, Columba livia Gmelin, 1789 were monitored daily. Feather replacement was recorded in all months, but the primaries 1 to 5 (innermost primaries) were replaced mostly from September to December, whereas the primaries 6 to 10 (outermost primaries) were more frequently replaced from January to August. Each primary was held in plumage from six to fifteen months, but the lifetime of the outer feathers was longer than that of the inner feathers. A new primary emerges two or three days after its predecessor has been dropped, but the primaries replacing the feathers accidentally lost during bird handling emerge only after about eight days. The average growth period of a primary ranged from 21 to 37 days, with the larger and outermost feathers exhibiting a longer growth period. A constant average growth rate of 4 to 5 mm/day was found for all primaries until the last two days of growth, when the growth rate of the feathers became progressively slower. Bilateral symmetry in the primary replacement, when the same feather is replaced simultaneously in both wings, was not significant (22.2%) in the birds monitored in this study.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Replacement and growth of primary feathers in captive rock pigeons, Columba livia (Aves: Columbidae)

Mallet-Rodrigues

2012

Zoologia (Curitiba)

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“…Furthermore, analysis of stable isotopes between feathers and along the length of individual feathers provides another means to estimate geographical location at the time the feathers were formed [158]. Because rate of feather replacement is size-dependent [159], chemical Review. Avian migration and global change M. Klaassen et al 1727 analysis of feathers from large birds provides an extended window into the quality of the habitats they encounter in their annual cycle.…”

Section: (B) Evaluating Vitalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecophysiology of avian migration in the face of current global hazards

Klaassen

Hoye

Nolet

et al. 2012

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

116

114

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Long-distance migratory birds are often considered extreme athletes, possessing a range of traits that approach the physiological limits of vertebrate design. In addition, their movements must be carefully timed to ensure that they obtain resources of sufficient quantity and quality to satisfy their high-energy needs. Migratory birds may therefore be particularly vulnerable to global change processes that are projected to alter the quality and quantity of resource availability. Because long-distance flight requires high and sustained aerobic capacity, even minor decreases in vitality can have large negative consequences for migrants. In the light of this, we assess how current global change processes may affect the ability of birds to meet the physiological demands of migration, and suggest areas where avian physiologists may help to identify potential hazards. Predicting the consequences of global change scenarios on migrant species requires (i) reconciliation of empirical and theoretical studies of avian flight physiology; (ii) an understanding of the effects of food quality, toxicants and disease on migrant performance; and (iii) mechanistic models that integrate abiotic and biotic factors to predict migratory behaviour. Critically, a multi-dimensional concept of vitality would greatly facilitate evaluation of the impact of various global change processes on the population dynamics of migratory birds.

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“…As such, most feathers need to be replaced annually or, at most, every 2 (exceptionally more) years (Rohwer et al 2009). The growing of new feathers is costly because of increased demands in energy and nutrients; the moult of flight feathers is even more so, because the gaps created after old feathers are lost impair flight performance until replacements are fully grown (Hedenström and Sunada 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to fundamental limits on the rate of feather growth, larger birds often have a protracted moult period due to the time required to grow their relatively long feathers (Rohwer et al 2009). Large birds also tend to have long breeding seasons, and this is particularly true in many pelagic seabirds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Large birds also tend to have long breeding seasons, and this is particularly true in many pelagic seabirds. As a result, large birds have developed specific moult strategies that often include, amongst other adaptations, the retention of some flight feathers for 2-3 years, in contrast to the annual moult of the complete plumage which is characteristic of smaller species (Rohwer et al 2009). Despite this, large birds with long breeding seasons, such as albatrosses, still face difficulties in finding sufficient time during the non-breeding period to replace enough feathers, and in at least one genus Phoebastria, the accumulation of old feathers eventually forces birds to skip breeding seasons in order to renew their plumage (Langston and Rohwer 1996;Rohwer et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Differences in the timing and extent of annual moult of black-browed albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris living in contrasting environments

et al. 2013

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Moult entails costs related to the acquisition of energy and nutrients necessary for feather synthesis, as well as the impact of reduced flight performance induced by gaps in the wing plumage. Variation in moult strategies within and between populations may convey valuable information on energetic trade-offs and other responses to differing environmental constraints. We studied the moult strategies of two populations of a pelagic seabird, the black-browed albatross Thalassarche melanophris, nesting in contrasting environments. According to conventional wisdom, it is exceptional for albatrosses (Diomedeidae) to moult while breeding. Here we show that black-browed albatrosses breeding on the Falklands regularly moult primaries, tail and body feathers during chick-rearing, and the majority of those at South Georgia show some body feather moult in late chick-rearing. The greater moult-breeding overlap at the Falklands allows the birds to annually renew more primary feathers than their counterparts at South Georgia. The results of the present paper, pooled with other evidence, suggest that black-browed albatrosses from South Georgia face a more challenging environment during reproduction. They also serve to warn against the uncritical acceptance of conventional ideas about moult patterns when using feathers to study the ecology of seabirds and other migrants for which there is scant information at particular stages of the annual cycle.

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Allometry of the Duration of Flight Feather Molt in Birds

Abstract: Replacement of flight feathers takes disproportionately more time for large birds than it does for small birds, because feather length increases with body size almost twice as fast as feather growth rate increases.

Cited by 158 publications

References 39 publications

Replacement and growth of primary feathers in captive rock pigeons, Columba livia (Aves: Columbidae)

Replacement and growth of primary feathers in captive rock pigeons, Columba livia (Aves: Columbidae)

Ecophysiology of avian migration in the face of current global hazards

Differences in the timing and extent of annual moult of black-browed albatrosses Thalassarche melanophris living in contrasting environments

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