Survival Rates of Young Magpies<i>Pica pica</i>in a Mountain Population of Eastern Spain

Miranda, Adrian; Alberti, José Antonio Gil-Delgado; Iborra, Germán M. López

doi:10.3161/068.042.0114

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Rodríguez-Gironés et al reported a delayed growth of magpie nestling chicks in relation to experimentally increased begging activity (Rodríguez-Gironés et al, 2001b), which is likely to affect probability of survival of magpie nestlings (Husby and Slagsvold, 1992;Ponz Miranda et al, 2007) (M. Molina-Morales and J. G. Martínez, unpublished data). This suggests that escalated begging would be a costly behaviour for magpie nestlings.…”

Section: Evidence Of Short-term Benefits and Costs Of Escalated Beggimentioning

confidence: 99%

Benefits associated with escalated begging behaviour of black-billed magpie nestlings overcompensate the associated energetic costs

Martín‐Gálvez

Pérez‐Contreras

Soler

et al. 2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYSeveral experimental results support the existence of costs associated with exaggerated begging behaviour, which are assumed by some theoretical models of honest signalling in parent-offspring communication. However, to understand how honest begging behaviour is evolutionarily maintained in nature, the long-term cost-benefit output associated with exaggerated signals should also be estimated. As far as we know, the net cost-benefit balance of begging display has not previously been explored. Here, we used an appetite stimulant, cyproheptadine hydrochloride, to increase the feeling of hunger in some magpie nestlings. Supporting the use of cyproheptadine to manipulate hunger level and thereby begging behaviour, we found that experimental nestlings increased the frequency of begging and received more food than their control nestmates. Contrary to the expectation that physiological costs per se counteract the associated benefits of escalated begging signals, we found that near-fledging experimental magpies showed a better physical condition than control nestlings. These findings stress the interesting question of why magpie nestlings do not show to adults an escalated level of hunger if it implies an advantage. We discuss the responsibility of inclusive fitness costs and indirect genetic effects for the maintenance of honesty in parent-offspring communication.

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Section: Evidence Of Short-term Benefits and Costs Of Escalated Beggimentioning

confidence: 99%

Benefits associated with escalated begging behaviour of black-billed magpie nestlings overcompensate the associated energetic costs

Martín‐Gálvez

Pérez‐Contreras

Soler

et al. 2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Juvenile plumage is fully developed at the end of the nestling period and is worn unchanged for several weeks until the post-fledging molt (on average, during two months in passerines; Moreno and Soler 2011), after which an adult-like plumage is acquired (Jenni and Winkler 1994). It has been hypothesized that one of the major selective pressures that affect chick plumage color is predation (reviewed by Kilner 2006; see also Graber 1955), which is the main cause of high juvenile mortality after leaving the nest (Naef-Daenzer et al 2001;Berkeley et al 2007;Miranda et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Juvenile plumage whiteness is associated with the evolution of clutch size in passerines

et al. 2019

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The offspring of many animals are conspicuous during parental dependence, despite juveniles generally suffering from high predation risk. However, to date, it is unclear whether offspring structural ornaments play a role in intrafamily communication. This is the case of conspicuous plumage in young birds, which is worn unchanged during a long period after fledging, when they still depend on their parents. If plumage color facilitates intrafamily interactions, its role should be more important in large-brooded species, where the strength of intrafamily conflict is potentially stronger. We therefore performed a comparative study in 210 passerine bird species to test whether an offspring structural trait, white plumage, evolves more frequently in lineages with larger clutches. We also explored the number of broods raised per year as another source of intrafamily conflict. First, we found that juvenile whiteness was more frequent in open-nesting species. Moreover, in agreement with our prediction, the presence of juvenile white tail/wing patches was strongly and positively associated with clutch size. This relationship was not due to the strong resemblance between offspring and adult plumage, which was controlled for in the statistical analyses. Moreover, the association remained significant after taking into account predation risk, for which there was information for a subset of species. In contrast, juvenile whiteness was not associated with the number of broods raised per year. These results may suggest that the evolution of juvenile conspicuousness is favored in species with potentially stronger intrabrood sibling conflict.

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“…One of the main ecological selection pressures that has been hypothesized to affect juvenile fitness is predation risk (Rush & Stutchbury, 2008). The post‐fledging juvenile life stage is characterized by strong predation pressure given the inexperience and poor flight capabilities of juveniles during their first weeks out of the nest (Naef‐Daenzer, Widmer & Nuber, 2001; Berkeley, McCarty & Wolfenbarger, 2007; Miranda, Alberti & Iborra, 2007). Thus, a cryptic juvenile body plumage may be favoured by predation pressure on fledglings and juveniles (Graber, 1955).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sources of distinctness of juvenile plumage in Western Palearctic passerines

Moreno

Soler

2011

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

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Juveniles of many avian species possess a spotted or mottled body plumage that is visually distinct from the plumage of adults. In other species, however, juveniles fledge with a body plumage that is just a pale representation of adult female plumage. The reasons for this variation are poorly understood. Several hypotheses concerning social (parent-offspring, adult-juvenile, juvenile-juvenile), ecological (predation risk) and physiological (costs of plumage development) implications of juvenile body plumage are presented in relation to predictions concerning associations with certain ecological and life-history attributes of avian species. In the present study, we conduct a phylogenetically corrected comparative analysis of Western Palearctic passerines looking for sources of variation in the incidence of distinct and adult-like juvenile body plumages. We scored plumages based on plates in the Handbook of the Birds of the Western Palearctic (Cramp & Perrins, 1988-1994; Oxford University Press) (HBWP) and entered body mass, migratory habits, habitat, nestling diet, breeding dispersion, gregariousness, duration of the nestling period, type of nest, conspicuousness of female plumage, and sexual dimorphism as explanatory variables, as presented in HBWP, in phylogenetic generalized least square regression analyses. One-third of the species presented distinct juvenile body plumages, which lasted on average for the first 2 months of life. Body mass, conspicuousness of female plumage, migratory habits, and habitat were significantly associated with interspecific variation in distinctness of juvenile plumage, with smaller species, more conspicuous species, migrants, and species from forested habitats showing distinct juvenile plumages with higher frequency. The phylogenetic signal was moderately high. Assuming that conspicuous adult plumage is costlier to produce than distinct juvenile body plumage (pigments, conspicuousness), the need to acquire social status among juveniles before the winter may explain the more adult-like plumage in resident species because juveniles will probably compete with individuals that they may have known during their first months of life. On the other hand, migrant juveniles may compete with a different set of individuals in winter quarters and can use savings in resources necessary for developing adult-like plumages to improve migration capacity by allocating resources to other functions. The association with habitat could be related to juveniles in open habitats participating in more extended interactions with other juveniles than in forested habitats where lower visibility may reduce the capacity to detect or respond to signals from juvenile conspecifics. More studies on this possibly crucial life stage are needed.

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Survival Rates of Young MagpiesPica picain a Mountain Population of Eastern Spain

Cited by 8 publications

References 23 publications

Benefits associated with escalated begging behaviour of black-billed magpie nestlings overcompensate the associated energetic costs

Benefits associated with escalated begging behaviour of black-billed magpie nestlings overcompensate the associated energetic costs

Juvenile plumage whiteness is associated with the evolution of clutch size in passerines

Sources of distinctness of juvenile plumage in Western Palearctic passerines

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