Color Differences Among Closely Related Species of Red-Breasted Meadowlarks (Sturnella)

Benites, Pilar; Tubaro, Pablo L.; Lijtmaer, Darío A; Lougheed, Stephen C.; Eaton, Muir D.

doi:10.1650/8195.1

Cited by 3 publications

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“…This methods is currently the most widely used one and is usually justified by supposedly strong phylogenetic inertia of avian visual systems (e.g. Benites et al. , 2007; Eaton, 2007; Avilés et al.…”

Section: Results Of General Linear Models Including Variables Definmentioning

confidence: 99%

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When assumptions on visual system evolution matter: nestling colouration and parental visual performance in birds

Renoult

Courtiol

Kjellberg

2009

J of Evolutionary Biology

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Comparative studies in visual ecology of birds often rely on several assumptions on the evolution of avian vision. In this study, we show that when these assumptions are not upheld, conclusions may be strongly affected. To illustrate this purpose, we reanalysed the data of Avilés & Soler (J. Evol. Biol.22: 376–386, 2009) who demonstrated that nestling gape colouration in altricial birds is associated with visual system. We show that a slight change in analysis methodology leads to opposite conclusions. Such conflicting result raises the problem of applying powerful methods developed for continuous variables to a small sample and a small number of independent events of qualitative visual system shift in comparative analyses. Further, we show that the current trend to assume strong phylogenetic inertia of avian visual systems is contradicted by data and that the sequencing of the SWS1 opsin gene should be considered as an alternative approach.

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Section: Results Of General Linear Models Including Variables Definmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This methods is currently the most widely used one and is usually justified by supposedly strong phylogenetic inertia of avian visual systems (e.g. Benites et al, 2007;Eaton, 2007;Avilé s et al, 2008;Bridge et al, 2008;Cassey et al, 2008a,b;Wilson et al, 2008;Avilé s & Soler, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When assumptions on visual system evolution matter: nestling colouration and parental visual performance in birds

Renoult

Courtiol

Kjellberg

2009

J of Evolutionary Biology

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Seasonal Changes in Colour: A Comparison of Structural, Melanin- and Carotenoid-Based Plumage Colours

et al. 2010

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BackgroundPlumage coloration is important for bird communication, most notably in sexual signalling. Colour is often considered a good quality indicator, and the expression of exaggerated colours may depend on individual condition during moult. After moult, plumage coloration has been deemed fixed due to the fact that feathers are dead structures. Still, many plumage colours change after moult, although whether this affects signalling has not been sufficiently assessed.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe studied changes in coloration after moult in four passerine birds (robin, Erithacus rubecula; blackbird, Turdus merula; blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus; and great tit, Parus major) displaying various coloration types (melanin-, carotenoid-based and structural). Birds were caught regularly during three years to measure plumage reflectance. We used models of avian colour vision to derive two variables, one describing chromatic and the other achromatic variation over the year that can be compared in magnitude among different colour types. All studied plumage patches but one (yellow breast of the blue tit) showed significant chromatic changes over the year, although these were smaller than for a typical dynamic trait (bill colour). Overall, structural colours showed a reduction in relative reflectance at shorter wavelengths, carotenoid-based colours the opposite pattern, while no general pattern was found for melanin-based colours. Achromatic changes were also common, but there were no consistent patterns of change for the different types of colours.Conclusions/SignificanceChanges of plumage coloration independent of moult are probably widespread; they should be perceivable by birds and have the potential to affect colour signalling.

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Plumage and Body Size Differentiation in Blue-Winged Teal and Cinnamon teal

Wilson

Eaton

McCracken

2012

Avian Biology Research

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Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) and Cinnamon Teal (A. cyanoptera septentrionalium) are two closely related North American dabbling duck species that are ecological equivalents. Cinnamon Teal are primarily restricted to regions west of the Great Plains, whereas Blue-winged Teal occur primarily in the central and eastern part of the continent, only recently expanding westward. Males of the two species exhibit striking plumage color differences, while females are difficult to differentiate by plumage, and it is unclear if interspecific size differences exist between either sex due to inconsistencies in previous reports. Here we reassess body size differences, and quantify plumage color differences using avian color discrimination modeling. Like previous studies, significant differences were found for bill morphology; mean bill length was 7-10% longer in Cinnamon Teal. Based on avian visual modeling of plumage reflectance data, color differences not visible to human vision were found between species for several female feather patches (e.g. breast coloration) and male wing speculum coloration, potentially representing previously unrecognized interspecific signals to the avian visual system. Although color reflectance data yielded higher accuracy than morphometrics for identifying females, body size measurements (in addition to plumage to a lesser degree) also proved to be reliable in correctly classifying males of each species. In combination, morphometrics and plumage reflectance data represent useful identification tools for avian species that are otherwise difficult to distinguish.

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Color Differences Among Closely Related Species of Red-Breasted Meadowlarks (Sturnella)

Cited by 3 publications

References 1 publication

When assumptions on visual system evolution matter: nestling colouration and parental visual performance in birds

When assumptions on visual system evolution matter: nestling colouration and parental visual performance in birds

Seasonal Changes in Colour: A Comparison of Structural, Melanin- and Carotenoid-Based Plumage Colours

Plumage and Body Size Differentiation in Blue-Winged Teal and Cinnamon teal

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