Carotenoids in bird testes: Links to body carotenoid supplies, plumage coloration, body mass and testes mass in house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus)

2012 ◽  
Vol 163 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 285-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissah Rowe ◽  
Elizabeth A. Tourville ◽  
Kevin J. McGraw
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Plumage Coloration ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
House Finches

scholarly journals Effects of Coccidial and Mycoplasmal Infections on Carotenoid-Based Plumage Pigmentation in Male House Finches

The Auk ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 952-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Brawner ◽  
Geoffrey E. Hill ◽  
Christine A. Sundermann
Keyword(s):  
Mycoplasma Gallisepticum ◽  
Plumage Coloration ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
Carotenoid Pigments ◽  
Secondary Sexual Traits ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Proximate Factors ◽  
Sexual Traits ◽  
Male House

AbstractCarotenoid pigments produce the ornamental red, orange, and yellow integumentary coloration of many species of animals. Among individuals of a population, the hue and saturation of carotenoid-based ornaments can be extremely variable, and studies of fish and birds have shown that females generally prefer males that display the most saturated and reddest coloration. Consequently, there has been a great deal of interest in determining the proximate factors that affect individual expression of carotenoid-based pigmentation. Parasites might affect production of ornamental coloration, and the Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis proposes that parasitized males will show decreased expression of the secondary sexual traits preferred by females. We found that captive male House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) experimentally infected with Isospora spp. (coccidians) and/or Mycoplasma gallisepticum produced carotenoid-based plumage coloration that was significantly less red and less saturated than that of noninfected males. These observations validate a necessary condition of the Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis, but heritable resistance to the pathogens we examined remains to be demonstrated.

The proximate basis of inter- and intra-population variation in female plumage coloration in the House Finch

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 619-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey E. Hill
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Regional Variation ◽  
Population Variation ◽  
Plumage Coloration ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
Carotenoid Pigments ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Hawaii Island ◽  
Carotenoid Pigmentation ◽  
Dietary Carotenoid

As in many sexually dichromatic species in which males are brightly colored, female House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) show a subdued expression of the same coloration as males. I quantified the carotenoid plumage coloration of females from the subspecies C. m. frontalis in Michigan, New York, Hawaii Island, and two sites in California, and from the subspecies C. m. griscomi in Guerrero, Mexico. The proportion of females with detectable carotenoid pigmentation differed significantly among populations, as did the median plumage brightness of colorful females. In Michigan, but not California, yearling females tended to be more colorful than older females. Among C. m. frontalis populations, there was a significant positive correlation between the plumage brightness of females and males, but in the C. m. griscomi population males were brightly colored while females were drab. In aviary experiments, females of all ages and from all populations converged on a similar plumage brightness after molt when fed a common diet. Moreover, females from all populations showed maximum color expression when provided with abundant red carotenoid pigments. These observations suggest that local and regional variation in the plumage brightness of females reflects local and regional variation in the availability of dietary carotenoid pigments and that female House Finches do not actively forage for carotenoids.

Food Color Preferences of Molting House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) in Relation to Sex and Plumage Coloration

Ethology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 115 (11) ◽  
pp. 1066-1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana L. Bascuñán ◽  
Elizabeth A. Tourville ◽  
Matthew B. Toomey ◽  
Kevin J. McGraw
Keyword(s):  
Plumage Coloration ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
Color Preferences ◽  
House Finches

Carotenoid-based plumage coloration and aggression during molt in male house finches

Behaviour ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 144 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Medina-Jerez ◽  
Heather Adams ◽  
Kevin McGraw
Keyword(s):  
Male Dominance ◽  
Plumage Coloration ◽  
Visual Signal ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
Plumage Color ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Clear Link ◽  
Access To Food ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Male House

AbstractBirds often use colorful traits to mediate resource competitions, and typically individuals with bright or large patches of color are more competitive than or dominant to those with drab or small color patches. Male House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) are an exception, however, as drab males tend to be more aggressive than bright males during the breeding season and in winter. One hypothesis for this 'negatively correlated handicap' is that drab male house finches, being comparatively sexually unattractive and in poor health and condition, have more to gain by elevating aggression and increasing access to food and pursuit of (especially extra-pair) mates. It would seem important then to test this hypothesis during the period of molt, when birds are actively acquiring the foods and carotenoid pigments that make them colorful and a time in which there is a clear link between plumage color and nutrition/health in this species. We conducted two captive dominance experiments with male House Finches from the southwestern United States (their native range) to examine the relationship between carotenoid-based plumage coloration and aggression during molt. In the first experiment, where birds exhibited their natural, currently growing plumage color, we found that drab males were significantly more aggressive than bright males. However, when plumage colors were manipulated with art markers in a second experiment, color display was no longer significantly predictive of agonistic outcomes. These results suggest that: (1) drab male dominance is not an artifact in eastern US populations and instead is a conserved property of native and non-native House Finches, (2) like in our previous studies in winter, plumage color is correlated with dominance but does not serve as a visual signal of social status in this species, and (3) drab males should have a competitive advantage over access to important carotenoid-rich foods during molt, but apparently do not become as colorful because they do not adequately locate carotenoid-rich foods or do not use them efficiently for energetic or health reasons, which are perhaps exacerbated by elevated testosterone levels.

scholarly journals Feather corticosterone levels are not correlated with health or plumage coloration in juvenile house finches

2018 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuul Sepp ◽  
Steve Desaivre ◽  
Adam Z Lendvai ◽  
József Németh ◽  
Kevin J McGraw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plumage Coloration ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Feather Corticosterone

scholarly journals Pathogen resistance and immunocompetence covary with social status in house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus)

2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 520-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. HAWLEY ◽  
C. S. JENNELLE ◽  
K. V. SYDENSTRICKER ◽  
A. A. DHONDT
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Pathogen Resistance ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
House Finches

scholarly journals Dynamics of Conjunctivitis and Mycoplasma Gallisepticum Infections in House Finches

The Auk ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry K. Hartup ◽  
Jean M. Bickal ◽  
Andre A. Dhondt ◽  
David H. Ley ◽  
George V. Kollias
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Seasonal Fluctuation ◽  
Host Density ◽  
Mycoplasma Gallisepticum ◽  
Disease Prevalence ◽  
Significant Decline ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
House Finch ◽  
House Finches

Abstract Conjunctivitis, an infectious disease caused by Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), has produced a significant decline in eastern House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) of North America. In this paper, we present findings from two complementary studies designed to clarify annual and seasonal trends of MG infections in House Finches from the northeastern United States. The first was a field study of House Finches common to urban and residential habitat from Mercer County, New Jersey. We documented conjunctivitis in 11% (188/1,651) of the birds examined. Conjunctivitis prevalence in House Finches ranged from 0 to 43% per month, and exhibited marked seasonal fluctuation (elevations during fall and winter months and lower disease prevalence during the breeding season). There was excellent intermethod agreement on disease prevalence when measured by either presence of physical signs (conjunctivitis) or MG infection (kappa = 0.75). During the peak of the breeding season (April through June), conjunctivitis was present in a greater proportion of males lacking a cloacal protuberance than males with a cloacal protuberance (P < 0.01), but was similar between breeding and nonbreeding females. The second study, a volunteer survey, revealed the proportion of northeastern U.S. monitoring sites with at least one diseased House Finch each month ranged from a peak of 59% (August 1995) to a minimum of 12% (July 1999). Subsequent to the epidemic peak of disease in 1995, a series of recurring cycles occurred, with elevations in those proportions noted in late fall and winter and minima during the breeding season. Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis now appears endemic among House Finches of that region and demonstrates dynamics consistent with annual variation in host density.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum Isolated from House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) with Conjunctivitis

1996 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 480 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H. Ley ◽  
J. Edward Berkhoff ◽  
Judith M. McLaren
Keyword(s):  
Mycoplasma Gallisepticum ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
House Finches

scholarly journals Plumage Brightness and Breeding-Season Dominance in the House Finch: A Negatively Correlated Handicap?

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 456-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J. McGraw ◽  
Geoffrey E. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Social Dominance ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
Honest Signal ◽  
Apparent Paradox ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Nonbreeding Season ◽  
Access To Food ◽  
Male House

Abstract A variety of observations indicate that the carotenoid-based coloration of male House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) is an honest signal of quality. Plumage redness in this species positively reveals male nutritional condition, over-winter survival, and nest attentiveness. As a result, in the breeding season, male House Finches with brighter ornamental plumage are preferred by females as social mates over males with drabber plumage. In the nonbreeding season, however, bright red plumage does not seem to confer an advantage in aggressive interactions, as males with drabber plumage tend to dominate males with brighter plumage. We investigated this apparent paradox by conducting a breeding-season dominance experiment using captive males. We paired unfamiliar males of contrasting plumage brightness in a series of dominance trials during the breeding season and found that drabber males were dominant to brighter males in competition for access to food. Furthermore, in two captive flocks of males, plumage brightness was significantly negatively associated with social dominance. Although we have no conclusive evidence to explain why drab male House Finches are dominant to bright males throughout the year, we believe that motivational asymmetry may contribute to the observed negative correlation between signal intensity and signaler quality (“negatively correlated handicap”). Drab males may be more willing to compete for access to food or to females than are bright males because of the nutritional and/or mating disadvantages from which they suffer.

Effects of bird feeder density on the foraging behaviors of a backyard songbird (the House Finch, Haemorhous mexicanus) subject to seasonal disease outbreaks

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (9) ◽  
pp. 611-621
Author(s):  
M.A. Aberle ◽  
K.E. Langwig ◽  
J.S. Adelman ◽  
D.M. Hawley
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
High Density ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Residual Body ◽  
House Finch ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Local Abundance ◽  
Bird Feeder ◽  
Haemorhous Mexicanus

Provisioning of wildlife, such as backyard bird feeding, can alter animal behavior and ecology in diverse ways. For species that are highly dependent on supplemental resources, it is critical to understand how variation in the degree of provisioning, as occurs naturally across backyards, alters wildlife behavior and ecology in ways potentially relevant to disease spread. We experimentally manipulated feeder density at suburban sites and tracked local abundance, foraging behaviors, body mass, and movement in House Finches (Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L. Statius Müller, 1776)), the primary host of a pathogen commonly spread at feeders. Sites with high feeder density harbored higher local House Finch abundance, and birds at these sites had longer feeding bouts and total time on feeders relative to sites with low feeder density. House Finches at high-density feeder sites had lower residual body mass despite greater apparent feeder access. Finally, birds first recorded at low-density feeder sites were more likely to move to neighboring high-density feeder sites than vice versa. Because local abundance and time spent on feeders have both been linked with disease risk in this species, the effects of heterogeneity in bird feeder density on these traits may have important consequences for disease dynamics in this system and more broadly.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document