Plumage maintenance affects ultraviolet colour and female preference in the budgerigar
Elaborate or colourful feathers are important traits in female–mate choice in birds but little attention has been given to the potential costs of maintaining these traits in good condition via preening behaviour. While preening is known to be an important component of plumagemaintenance, it has received little attention with respect to colouration. We investigated whether […]
Coloured patches influence pairing rate in King Penguins
Ever since Darwin’s (1871) original description of sexual selection, evolutionary biologists have been intrigued by colourful attributes of animals that appear to be ornamental, without offering direct visible benefits to animals. Nevertheless, the potential biological utility of ornaments was only recently tested, perhaps because traits like the Peacock’s Pavo cristatus tail offer no direct, visible […]