Search results for "Plumage"
showing 9 items of 29 documents
Diversité génétique individuelle, différenciation morphologique et comportementale entres les sexes, patterns d'appariement et paramètres démographiq…
2013
Research in avian behavioral ecology is affected by a known bias in favour of temperate species despite the greatest diversity of tropical species and the radically remote natural conditions which make knowledge of temperate species hardly relevant to tropical species.We propose to reduce the lack of information about tropical birds through the study of a socially monogamous species, reproducing and defending an all-purpose territory all year round, the Zenaida dove, Zenaida aurita. We used monitoring data from a population of ringed birds in Barbados for six years. First, we focused on plumage coloration both to ascertain their sexually mono- or dichromatic nature and whether plumage colou…
Plumage colour and male-male interactions in the pied flycatcher
1993
Abstract Abstract. The influence of male colour on male-male interactions in the pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca , was studied using several types of field experiments. This species exhibits delayed plumage maturation, each male becoming more conspicuously black and white from the first to the second breeding summer. However, individual males vary even more, some old males being as brown as females. When territorial males were presented with a choice between brown and black male intruders (or brown males painted black) they directed more aggression towards the black males. Brown plumage did not help males obtain nestboxes close to other males. If anything browner males were at a disadva…
Fluctuating asymmetry and copulation success in lekking black grouse
1997
Abstract In lekking black grouse, Tetrao tetrix males at the centre of the leks obtain more copulations than males at the edges. We found that males with territories at the edge of the lek obtained fewer matings and also have the most asymmetric tarsi. However, when considering the tail ornament (the lyre) no correlation between asymmetry and mating success was found. Although females are unlikely to select males on the basis of tarsus symmetry, asymmetry in this trait may reflect male condition. We suggest that males in poor condition, as reflected by higher levels of fluctuating asymmetry in the tarsi, do not achieve central positions on the lek arena. This would account for the lower suc…
Individual color variation and male quality in pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca): a role of ultraviolet reflectance
2002
Bright coloration of males in many animal species has inspired researchers for more than a century. In this field study, we investigated whether color variation between individuals is related to individual quality in pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) males in terms of arrival time at the breeding sites. In addition to traditional visual color scoring, plumage color was measured using spectroradiometric measurements between 320 and 700 nm. This range includes the near-ultraviolet waveband from 320 to 400 nm. Males that arrived earlier at breeding sites had higher proportional UV reflectance in the crown and mantle. The proportional UV reflectance in the crown and mantle was not related to…
Melanin-based colour polymorphism signals aggressive personality in nest and territory defence in the tawny owl (Strix aluco)
2013
Nest and territory defence are risky and potentially dangerous behaviours. If the resolution of life history trade-offs differs between individuals, the level of defence may also vary among individuals. Because melanin-based colour traits can be associated with life history strategies, differently coloured individuals may display different nest and territory defence strategies. We investigated this issue in the colour polymorphic tawny owl (Strix aluco) for which plumage varies from dark to light reddish melanic. Accordingly, we found that (1) our presence induced a greater response (flying around) from dark-coloured than light-coloured females and (2) dark reddish males suffered lower nest…
Energy reserves of the capercaillie Tetrao urogallus in finlan
1990
Abstract 1. 1. The size of energy reserves, distribution of fat stores and the fatty acid composition of subcutaneous and pericardial adipose tissue of capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) were studied in 12 adult birds shot in Sept.–Oct. and in 8 birds shot in March. Furthermore 4 captive birds were killed in Sept. 2. 2. A capercaillie male can maintain or even increase its body weight during winter, but as shown in the present work it is not a result of increased fat content. 3. 3. In general, capercaillie seems to contain more stored energy in the form of fat than other tetraonids so far studied, except Svalbard ptarmigan. 4. 4. In males total fat content in percentage of body weight varied o…
Winter male plumage coloration correlates with breeding status in a cooperative breeding species
2007
The function of colored ornaments is usually related to the signaling of individual quality in intra- and intersexual interactions. In cooperative breeding species, where only a fraction of the male population access the breeding status and the other fraction has the option to help breeding pairs, colored traits might provide the females with a reliable information on the quality of potential mate. Males of the cooperative breeding azure-winged magpies (Cyanopica cyanus) display conspicuous blue plumage coloration. Here we explored the role played by structural blue coloration of males and the probability of becoming a breeder or a helper. Birds were trapped during 4 consecutive years, and …
Small Scale Geographical Variation in Plumage Colour of Pied Flycatcher Males
1997
Ecology -94". A cruise report. Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, Stockholm, pp. 311-316. Lundgren, B., Hedenstr6m, A. and Pettersson, J. 1995. Correlation between some body components and visible fat index in the Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus (L.). Ornis Svecica 5: 75-79. Pettersson, J. and Hasselquist, D. 1985. Fat deposition and migration capacity of Robins Erithacus rubecula and Goldcrests Regulus regulus at Ottenby, Sweden. Ring. & Migr. 6: 66-76. Piersma, T., Bruinzeel, L., Drent, R., Kersten, M., Van der Meer, J. and Wiersma, P. 1996. Variability in basal metabolic rate of a long-distance migrant shorebird (Red Knot, Calidris canutus), reflects shifts in organ sizes. Physiol…
On the Rock Partridge in the painting “Saint Jerome in the study” by Antonello da Messina.
2012
Pictorial work of Antonello da Messina during the Sicilian period (1455-60) is considered less fruitful and less mature than during his stay in Venice (ca 1474-1476). While some art critics consider the painting “Saint Jerome in the study” a work of the first period, others believe that it was produced during the Venice period. The Authors analysed the plumage characters of the Rock Partridge, Alectoris graeca, depicted with symbolic significance in the painting, to try the identification of the population which the subject used as model could belong to. However, they conclude that the identification as a Sicilian as well as an Alpine Rock Partridge is doubtful and in this case the plumage …