| Titre : | The size of melanin-based beard ornaments is not related to body condition in the Bearded Reedling Panurus biarmicus (2021) |
| Titre original: | The size of melanin-based beard ornaments is not related to body condition in the Bearded Reedling Panurus biarmicus |
| Auteurs : | Ignacio García Peiró, Auteur |
| Type de document : | Article |
| Dans : | Revista Catalana d'Ornitologia (37 2021) |
| Article en page(s) : | 37-42 |
| Mots-clés: | oiseau reedbed acrocephalus RW migrateur migration distance coût budget vitesse ESPAGNE anglais |
| Résumé : |
Avian melanin-based plumage ornaments are often considered to be condition-dependent signals exploited in a context of sexual selection. In a highly dimorphic species, the Bearded Reedling Panurus biarmicus, the black beard ornaments under the male’s eyes play a dual role in both male-male competition and female choice, and also as a sign of dominance status. However, the inter- and intra- consistency of these traits has never been examined in this species. Here I empirically show that different measurements of the same beard trait (beard length, beard width and beard surface area) were highly consistent within the individual given that they were positively correlated in the same individuals in 13 males ringed in the reedbeds of El Hondo Natural Park (SE Iberia). However, the measures of the different beard traits varied greatly between males and there was a broad range of variation between birds. These measurements were not significantly correlated with two measures of body condition (body size index and body weight). This preliminary study does not support the hypothesis that beard ornaments are reliable indicators of individual body condition reflecting phenotypic quality. Key words: Bearded Reedling, Panurus biarmicus, body condition, body size, double measure- ments, melanin traits |



