Seasonal changes in carotenoid‐ and melanin‐based plumage coloration in the Great TitParus major

2005/08/10 by JORDI FIGUEROLA, Jordi Figuerola, JOAN CARLES SENAR +1 · 68 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Amphibian and Reptile Biology #Animal Behavior and Reproduction #Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior #Biology #Botany #Carotenoid #Ecology #Feather #Intraspecific competition #Moulting #Parus #Plumage #Sexual selection #Zoology

paper · doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.2005.00461.x

published in Ibis 147(4), 797-802 (Wiley)

openalex publication_date 2005/08/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25

Abstract

Plumage coloration plays an important role as a signal of individual quality. We studied plumage coloration in two Great Tit Parus major populations to test the hypothesis that coloration changes during the year without moult. As expected, the coloration of ‘yellow’ and ‘dark green’ areas in the breast and back changed with time but not the colour characteristics of the ‘black’ crown. This suggests that colours based on carotenoids could be more exposed to abrasion or fading than melanin‐derived colours, although other factors could affect the patterns of change found. Our results show that effects of colour alteration could be important to the understanding of the potential for reliable signalling of different colours. Seasonal changes in plumage colour should be considered in future analysis of intraspecific variation in coloration.

Citations

• Rank Transformations as a Bridge between Parametric and Nonparametric Statistics
• Melanin and the Abrasion Resistance of Feathers

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