Different colors reveal different information: how nutritional stress affects the expression of melanin- and structurally based ornamental plumage
Avian plumage colors have emerged recently as model systems for investigating the types of information that can be signaled by showy sexual displays in animals. In many species, the brightness of carotenoid-based plumage reflects the health and condition of individuals and is used in mate selection. The information contained in melanin-based and structurally based ornamental […]
The exaggerated begging behaviour of an obligate avian brood parasite is shared with a nonparasitic close relative
Offspring signalling models predict that the begging displays of obligate brood parasites are more intense than nonparasitic species because parasitic young are never reared by their genetic parents and often compete against unrelated host young during development. The brown-headed cowbird, Molothrus ater, has been described as having exaggerated begging relative to nonparasitic species, but an […]
Friends give benefits: autumn social familiarity preferences predict reproductive output
Fission–fusion dynamics create social instability, as individuals must adjust to changes in group size and composition. In many social species, group changes are associated with increases in aggression, stress responses and individual mortality. It has been hypothesized that fission–fusion processes select for strong bonds between familiar individuals that provide a predictable social environment across group […]