NDLI: Sexual selection, feather breakage and parasites: the importance of white spots in the tail of the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Kose, Mati Møller, Anders Pape
Copyright Year	1999
Abstract	The long outermost tail feathers of barn swallows Hirundo rustica have white spots that are larger in males than in females and in adults than in juveniles. Spot size increases with age among adults and is positively correlated with tail length. We tested the functional significance of these white spots by randomly assigning males to either of three groups during spring: (1) subjected to a considerable reduction in the size of all spots using a black permanent pen; (2) subjected to a small reduction in the size of all spots; or (3) a control group with no reduction. Experimental treatment significantly affected the total number of offspring produced per season: breeding tended to be delayed and second broods were less frequent after a considerable reduction in the size of the males' tail feather spots. White parts of feathers lacking melanin were more often found to be the site of feather breakage than the melanised parts of similar width. Furthermore, white tail spots were the preferred feeding site of feather-eating Mallophaga and, since long-tailed males have fewer Mallophaga than short-tailed males, long-tailed males may pay a lower cost for their large white tail spots than short-tailed males. Hence, the cost of increased risk of feather breakage at white tail spots and the non-random distribution of feather lice among individuals will render tail spots a reliable signal of phenotypic quality.
Starting Page	430
Ending Page	436
Page Count	7
File Format	PDF
ISSN	03405443
Journal	Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Volume Number	45
Issue Number	6
e-ISSN	14320762
Language	English
Publisher	Springer-Verlag
Publisher Date	1999-05-12
Publisher Place	Berlin, Heidelberg
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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Sexual selection, feather breakage and parasites: the importance of white spots in the tail of the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica)

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