Morphological and Biometric Features of Male BluethroatsLuscinia svecicain Central Iberia

Summary. In order to test biometrics and plumage variability in bluethroats Luscinia svecica in central Iberia, 185 birds were captured in four areas (Sierra-Bejar, Sierra-Piedrahita, Sierra-Gredos and Sierra-Paramera). Older bluethroats were significantly larger than second calendar year birds in wing, tail, and total body lengths, but not in tarsus and bill lengths. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and a principal component analysis (PCA) were used. Total body length only varied significantly between sampling areas: the birds from Sierra-Bejar were larger than those from Sierra-Gredos and Sierra-Paramera, but were similar to those of Sierra-Piedrahita. Birds with a white spot,…