Winter male plumage coloration correlates with breeding status in a cooperative breeding species |
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Authors: | Solis Elena; Aviles Jesus M; De La Cruz Carlos; Valencia Juliana; Sorci Gabriele |
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Institution: | a Departamento de Biología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Extremadura, 06071 Badajoz, Spain
b Departamento de Biología Animal y Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, E-18071 Granada, Spain
c Cátedra de Biología y Etología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Extremadura, 10071 Cáceres, Spain
d BioGeosciences, CNRS UMR 5561, Université de Bourgogne, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France |
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Abstract: | The function of colored ornaments is usually related to thesignaling of individual quality in intra- and intersexual interactions.In cooperative breeding species, where only a fraction of themale population access the breeding status and the other fractionhas the option to help breeding pairs, colored traits mightprovide the females with a reliable information on the qualityof potential mate. Males of the cooperative breeding azure-wingedmagpies (Cyanopica cyanus) display conspicuous blue plumagecoloration. Here we explored the role played by structural bluecoloration of males and the probability of becoming a breederor a helper. Birds were trapped during 4 consecutive years,and feather coloration was measured with a spectrometer. Malesthat became breeders had a more brilliant and saturated bluecoloration and showed a more violet hue in the nonbreeding periodcompared with birds that became helpers. Breeding males alsoshowed a seasonal decline in blueness, whereas the color propertiesof helpers were constant throughout the year. Blueness of individualstrapped in the nonbreeding period was positively correlatedwith body size and condition. These findings are consistentwith a scenario in which nonbreeding blue plumage colorationmay function as a signal of individual quality in the azure-wingedmagpie at the pair formation time and add to growing evidencesuggesting that the nonbreeding season appears particularlyimportant in impacting breeding roles in cooperative breedingbirds. |
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Keywords: | cooperative breeding Cyanopica cyanus nonbreeding plumage sexual selection structural coloration |
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