La Tour du Valat

Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Titre :	The role of age, sex, subspecies, body size and fuel load in determining the social status of a migratory passerine during the non-breeding period
Auteurs :	Juan Arizaga, Auteur ; Franz Bairlein, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	Ornis Fennica (88(3) 2011)
Article en page(s) :	154-160
Langues:	Anglais
Résumé :	The social status is seen determined by sex and/or age, body size and body condition. However, knowing which of these factors play a more relevant role to determine social dominance is often difficult since studies of competition under field conditions are commonly affected by several confounding factors that cannot be controlled or are even unknown. We studied experimentally which factors determine the dominance in captive Northern Wheatears, Oenanthe oenanthe during the non-breeding season, i.e., autumn and winter. We subjected two individuals at a time to experimental conditions with food provided at a feeder; these individuals differed in sex, age, body size, fuel load and subspecies. Social status appeared to be determined by age and sex during the autumn migration period, but not in winter. In particular, adults and males displaced first-year birds and females from the feeding site. Other traits such as body size, fuel load and subspecies, did not have significant effects on the social status.

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