The Links Between Plumage Variation and Nest Site Occupancy in Male House Sparrows

Morrison, Emily B.; Kinnard, Tria B.; Stewart, Ian; Poston, Joseph P.; Hatch, Margret I.; Westneat, David F.

doi:10.1525/cond.2008.8470

Cited by 20 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…This is because badge size in House Sparrows is a well-known predictor of dominance and fighting ability (Møller 1987b;Liker & Barta 2001;McGraw et al 2003;Bó kony et al 2006;Morrison et al 2008). This is because badge size in House Sparrows is a well-known predictor of dominance and fighting ability (Møller 1987b;Liker & Barta 2001;McGraw et al 2003;Bó kony et al 2006;Morrison et al 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We predicted that the relative ornamentation of flock-mates alone would be a significant predictor of badge size changes during moult, especially when monitored and averaged over a fairly large population. This is because badge size in House Sparrows is a well-known predictor of dominance and fighting ability (Møller 1987b;Liker & Barta 2001;McGraw et al 2003;Bó kony et al 2006;Morrison et al 2008). Nevertheless, an important drawback of our experiment was that we did not monitor the frequency or nature of aggressive interactions and thus have no data on the dominance rank of each individual, nor did we measure testosterone levels.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…House Sparrows are an ideal species in which to examine social effects of plumage development as they are highly gregarious throughout the year, that is, they feed and roost in flocks and breed semicolonially (Anderson 2006). Across various studies, badge size has been found to correlate with overall fighting success (Møller 1987b;Liker & Barta 2001;McGraw et al 2003;Bó kony et al 2006;Morrison et al 2008), age (Veiga 1993;Morrison et al 2008) and testosterone levels (Evans et al 2000;Buchanan et al 2001;Gonzalez et al 2001;Laucht et al 2011). Across various studies, badge size has been found to correlate with overall fighting success (Møller 1987b;Liker & Barta 2001;McGraw et al 2003;Bó kony et al 2006;Morrison et al 2008), age (Veiga 1993;Morrison et al 2008) and testosterone levels (Evans et al 2000;Buchanan et al 2001;Gonzalez et al 2001;Laucht et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, male House Sparrows possess a range of ornaments of which the size of the black breast bib or badge has been widely studied and is commonly accepted as a badge of status (Møller 1987a,b;Veiga 1995;Hein et al 2003). Across various studies, badge size has been found to correlate with overall fighting success (Møller 1987b;Liker & Barta 2001;McGraw et al 2003;Bó kony et al 2006;Morrison et al 2008), age (Veiga 1993;Morrison et al 2008) and testosterone levels (Evans et al 2000;Buchanan et al 2001;Gonzalez et al 2001;Laucht et al 2011). In addition, males possess a second ornament, bill colour, which changes from horn to black between the non-breeding and breeding season and can be used as a dynamic indicator of a 'running average' of recent testosterone levels (Keck 1933;Witschi 1936;Pfeiffer et al 1944;Laucht et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Development of Badges of Status in Captive Male House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) in Relation to the Relative Ornamentation of Flock‐Mates

Laucht

Dale

2012

Ethology

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The development of quality signals is expected to be largely influenced by environmental conditions among which the social environment could be an important factor, particularly in gregarious animals. Here, we investigated the role of the presumed social environment on the development of badge size in moulting male House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) over a 3‐yr time span. House Sparrow badges are testosterone‐dependent ornaments that are typically argued to be ‘badges of status’ –that is, signals of competitive ability and aggression. Immediately prior to moult, we created several groups of males, either with similarly sized badges or with badges of different sizes, and we measured each male's badge size before and after moult. The former groups were presumed to have a less clear social hierarchy than the latter groups because of group members advertising relatively similar competitive ability (and thus were expected to more frequently challenge one another in order to establish dominance). Conversely, the latter groups were presumed to have relatively higher social stability because birds would less frequently encounter rivals advertising similar agonistic threat. We predicted in groups of birds with similarly sized badges, both (1) larger changes (i.e. increases or decreases) in badge sizes and (2) higher increases in between‐individual variation within groups. The first prediction was supported in one of the 3 yrs, but there was no support for the second prediction in any year. We conclude that social environment has an effect on the development of badges of status, but that it is highly contingent on the specific nature and timing of group interactions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Development of Badges of Status in Captive Male House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) in Relation to the Relative Ornamentation of Flock‐Mates

Laucht

Dale

2012

Ethology

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“…The apparent lack of any benefit for the replacements may have therefore simply have been a consequence of the generally high nest failure rate. However, the possibility remains that replacement birds may reap benefits in the future, because they may be more likely to acquire a territory in the following season as a result of the benefits of prior territory ownership (Maynard Smith and Parker 1976, Stamps 1987, Morrison et al 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Density‐dependent age at first reproduction in the eastern kingbird

Cooper

Murphy

Redmond

et al. 2009

Oikos

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Theory predicts that maximal fitness is obtained by individuals who begin to breed immediately upon reaching sexual maturity. However, delayed breeding occurs regularly in some taxa, and in birds and mammals is most often associated with long lifespan and/or limited access to suitable habitats. Delayed breeding is not expected among relatively short-lived species such as migratory passerine birds, but this assumption remains untested in many species. Here we quantify age at first reproduction in an eastern kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus population breeding in an ecological island, and through both observational and experimental approaches, investigate the potential causes for the high frequency of delayed breeding that occurs in this population. Nearly half of the fledged nestlings that returned to the breeding grounds did not breed in their first potential breeding season. Some non-breeders occupied territories, for at least some period, but most remained as non-territorial 'floaters'. Parentage analysis failed to show any reproductive success for female floaters, and only limited success for male floaters, indicating that floating was not a successful reproductive tactic. On the other hand, a strong negative relationship existed between population size and the proportion of young birds that bred in their first year, and non-territorial birds of both sexes quickly filled territory vacancies created by experimental adult removals. Limited breeding habitat and territorial behavior of older birds thus appear to be the main causes of delayed breeding in kingbirds. The frequency of delayed breeding in most species is unknown but of potential significance because failure to incorporate accurate estimates of age at first reproduction in population models may lead to flawed population projections.

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Bill color, not badge size, indicates testosterone-related information in house sparrows

Laucht

Kempenaers

Dale

2010

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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The honesty of ornamental signals of quality is often argued to be enforced via costs associated with testosterone. It is still poorly understood, however, how seasonal variation of testosterone within individuals is related to the timing and extent of ornament development. Here, we studied inter-and intra-individual variability of plasma testosterone levels in a population of 150 captive male house sparrows (Passer domesticus) through the course of a full year. We further analyzed the relationship between plasma testosterone levels and two sexually dimorphic ornaments: badge size and bill coloration. Also, because of a known negative relation between molt and circulating testosterone levels, we analyzed the relationship between ornamentation and molt status during the fall. We found that testosterone levels increased towards the breeding season and decreased before the onset of annual molt. However, within individuals, relative testosterone titers demonstrated low repeatability between seasons. Plasma testosterone levels were not correlated with badge size in any season but were correlated strongly with bill coloration during all periods, except the breeding season when variation in bill color was low. Finally, we found that bill coloration strongly correlated with molt status during fall. Our results indicate that bill coloration, not badge size, is the best ornamental indicator of a "running average" of male testosterone in house sparrows and therefore the best potential indicator of qualities and/or behavioral strategies associated with testosterone.

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The Links Between Plumage Variation and Nest Site Occupancy in Male House Sparrows

Cited by 20 publications

References 34 publications

Development of Badges of Status in Captive Male House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) in Relation to the Relative Ornamentation of Flock‐Mates

Development of Badges of Status in Captive Male House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) in Relation to the Relative Ornamentation of Flock‐Mates

Density‐dependent age at first reproduction in the eastern kingbird

Bill color, not badge size, indicates testosterone-related information in house sparrows

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