Mutual ornamentation, age, and reproductive performance in the European starling

Komdeur, Jan; Oorebeek, Margot; Overveld, Thijs van; Cuthill, Innes C.

doi:10.1093/beheco/ari059

Cited by 100 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…Both sexes possess iridescent-UV throat feathers, which are displayed during courtship by males. Throat feather ornaments seem to have a signalling function in both sexes and provide reliable information on age and sex (Komdeur et al 2005). Correlative work has found positive assortative mating with respect to feather colour and length (Komdeur et al 2005).…”

Section: Studied Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Throat feather ornaments seem to have a signalling function in both sexes and provide reliable information on age and sex (Komdeur et al 2005). Correlative work has found positive assortative mating with respect to feather colour and length (Komdeur et al 2005). Moreover, laboratory mate choice experiments demonstrated that preferred males have higher reflectance at both 400-500 nm (blue) and 600-700 nm (purple) than non-preferred males, and that the removal of the UV component affected preference (Bennett et al 1997).…”

Section: Studied Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The possible effect of dirtiness on structurally based ultraviolet plumage

Griggio

Serra

Pilastro

2011

Italian Journal of Zoology

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To cite this article: M. Griggio , L. Serra & A. Pilastro (2011) The possible effect of dirtiness on structurally based ultraviolet plumage, Italian Journal of Zoology, 78:1, 90-95, DOI: 10.1080/11250003.2010 AbstractColourful feathers are important traits in female mate choice in birds because the colour properties of the feathers are often correlated with individual condition during moult. Feather colour can change after moult, and dirt accumulation has been suggested to contribute to this variation. However, we still know little about the influence of dirt on feather colour change, possibly because it is difficult to experimentally manipulate the level of feather dirtiness. We investigated whether reflectance properties of feathers exposed to naturally deposited soil (atmospheric particle deposition such as dust, pollution and smoke) differ from feathers for which this contact was prevented. To achieve this, we compared the spectral colour of throat-breast feathers of European starling, Sturnus vulgaris, kept in the open air (dirty group) with those preserved within a plastic envelope (clean group). Before treatment and three and six weeks after the beginning of the treatment we measured the plumage reflectance of the two groups of feathers. While clean feathers did not change their reflectance spectra, the dirty group showed a reduced reflectance along the entire spectrum (300-700 nm). The reduction in reflectance was particularly pronounced in the UV range (300-400 nm). These preliminary results are consistent with the idea that feather colours are not static signals but are plastic traits. However, much work remains to determine the role of soil and air pollution in altering plumage colouration.

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Section: Studied Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Studied Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The possible effect of dirtiness on structurally based ultraviolet plumage

Griggio

Serra

Pilastro

2011

Italian Journal of Zoology

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“…These findings make it very likely that birds use UV plumage colors both as cues in mate choice and as signals of social status during conflicts. UV color variation has indeed been shown to act as a mate choice cue in several bird species (Andersson and Amundsen 1997;Bennett et al 1997;Andersson et al 1998;Hunt et al 1998;Siitari et al 2002;Delhey et al 2003;Komdeur et al 2005; but see Liu et al 2007). However, until now, the role of UV plumage colors in avian communication other than in a mate choice context, such as in interindividual conflicts (but see Pryke and Griffith 2006), or outside the breeding season remains largely unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Absence of status signalling by structurally based ultraviolet plumage in wintering blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus)

Korsten

Vedder

Szentirmai

et al. 2007

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Structurally based ultraviolet (UV)-reflective plumage parts can be important cues in mate choice. However, it remains largely unknown if UV plumage variation can also function as a signal of social status during competitive interactions. In blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), the UV-reflective crown plumage functions as a female mate choice cue that probably indicates male quality, as males with higher UV reflectance have been shown to have better chances of over-winter survival. Possibly, the UV crown plumage acts as a status signal in the competition over scarce food sources during winter. To test this idea, we related dominance of individuals at an artificial food source during adverse winter conditions to spectrophotometric measurements of their crown plumage. However, while controlling for the confounding effects of sex, age, and distance from territory, we found no significant effect of crown UV reflectance on dominance. Consistent with this result, we also found no relation between crown UV reflectance and over-winter survival. We conclude that the structurally based UV reflectance of the blue tit crown feathers plays little role in competition between individuals during winter despite its importance as a cue in mate choice.

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“…Iridescent colors are used in sexual signaling, as on the peacock's tail, but their role remains little studied. An exception is in the starling (Sturnus vulgaris), where iridescent coloration differs with sex ) and correlates with mate preference (Bennett et al 1997;Komdeur et al 2005) and age (Komdeur et al 2005). The relationship between structural coloration and mate choice is perhaps best studied in blue tits, where there is evidence that females alter offspring sex ratio depending on male cap color (Sheldon et al 1999) and that females mated to "colorful" males invest more in parental care (Limbourg et al 2003) but "dull" males gain more extrapair paternity .…”

Section: Feather Ornamentationmentioning

confidence: 99%