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.

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.

scholarly journals Carotenoid Pigments in Male House Finch Plumage in Relation to Age, Subspecies, and Ornamental Coloration

The Auk ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 900-915 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caron Y. Inouye ◽  
Geoffrey E. Hill ◽  
Riccardo D. Stradi ◽  
Robert Montgomerie ◽  
C. Bosque
Keyword(s):  
Total Concentration ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
Carotenoid Pigments ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Red Pigments ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Male House

Abstract Like males of many bird species, male House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) have patches of feathers with ornamental coloration that are due to carotenoid pigments. Within populations, male House Finches vary in expression of ornamental coloration from pale yellow to bright red, which previous research suggested was the result of variation in types and amounts of carotenoid pigments deposited in feathers. Here we used improved analytical techniques to describe types and amounts of carotenoid pigments present in that plumage. We then used those data to make comparisons of carotenoid composition of feathers of male House Finches at three levels: among individual males with different plumage hue and saturation, between age groups of males from the same population, and between males from two subspecies that differ in extent of ventral carotenoid pigmentation (patch size): large-patched C. m. frontalis from coastal California and small-patched C. m. griscomi from Guerrero, Mexico. In all age groups and populations, the ornamental plumage coloration of male House Finches resulted from the same 13 carotenoid pigments, with 3-hydroxy echinenone and lutein being the most abundant carotenoid pigments. The composition of carotenoids in feathers suggested that House Finches are capable of metabolic transformation of dietary forms of carotenoids. The hue of male plumage depended on component carotenoids, their relative concentrations, and total concentration of all carotenoids. Most 4-keto (red) carotenoids were positively correlated with plumage redness, and most yellow carotenoid pigments were negatively associated with plumage redness, although the strength of the relationship for specific carotenoid pigments varied among age groups and subspecies. Using age and subspecies as factors and concentration of each component carotenoid as dependent variables in a MANOVA, we found a distinctive pigment profile for each age group within each subspecies. Among frontalis males, hatch-year birds did not differ from adults in mean plumage hue, but they had a significantly lower proportion of red pigments in their plumage, and significantly lower levels of the red piments adonirubin and astaxanthin, but significantly higher levels of the yellow pigment zeaxanthin, than adult males. Among griscomi males, hatch-year birds differed from adults in plumage hue but not significantly in pigment composition, though in general their feathers had lower concentrations of red pigments and higher concentrations of yellow pigments than adult males. Both adult and hatch-year frontalis males differed from griscomi males in having significantly higher levels of most yellow carotenoid pigments and significantly lower levels of most red carotenoid pigments. Variation in pigment profiles of subspecies and age classes may reflect differences among the groups in carotenoid metabolism, in dietary access to carotenoids, or in exposure to environmental factors, such as parasites, that may affect pigmentation.

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

Transmission-relevant behaviours shift with pathogen infection in wild house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus)

2007 ◽  
Vol 85 (6) ◽  
pp. 752-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.M. Hawley ◽  
A.K. Davis ◽  
A.A. Dhondt
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Mycoplasma Gallisepticum ◽  
Transmission Dynamics ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
Pathogen Infection ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Host Behaviour

Host individuals who are infected with a pathogen may alter their behaviour in ways that influence transmission. We observed a marked population of house finches ( Carpodacus mexicanus (Muller, 1776)) in Ithaca, New York, to test whether individuals change their behaviour at feeding stations when infected with a prevalent bacterial pathogen, Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG). We found that house finches with conjunctival lesions consistent with MG infection fed for longer bouts of time than individuals without conjunctivitis. Furthermore, the same individuals that were observed both with and without conjunctivitis during 3 years of study were more likely to feed alone and associated in significantly smaller flocks when conjunctivitis signs were present. These results suggest house finches alter their foraging and social behaviour at feeding stations when visibly infected with MG. Since MG transmission is thought to primarily occur at feeders, these changes in host behaviour likely have important consequences for MG transmission dynamics.

scholarly journals Blood Parasites of House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) from Georgia and New York

2008 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 469-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry K. Hartup ◽  
Allison Oberc ◽  
Briana Stott-Messick ◽  
Andrew K. Davis ◽  
Elliott C. H. Swarthout
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
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.

Plumage color as a dynamic trait: carotenoid pigmentation of male house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) fades during the breeding season

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 734-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J McGraw ◽  
Geoffrey E Hill
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
Plumage Color ◽  
Direct Function ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Dynamic Trait ◽  
Mate Switching ◽  
Carotenoid Pigmentation ◽  
Male House

Evolutionary biologists studying sexually selected bird plumage generally consider this trait to be static throughout a breeding season and assign trait values to individuals on the basis of single measurements. We investigated the propensity for carotenoid-based color of feather patches in male house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus ( Muller, 1776)) to change during the breeding period. We recaptured and rescored 63 males and found that the hue of feathers faded significantly over the season. The degree of hue change was a direct function of the amount of time between plumage scores; feathers faded more as the interval between measurements increased. The magnitude of hue change was not, however, related to an individual's age or initial plumage redness, which suggests that certain birds are not more or less prone to fading. Collectively, these findings imply that researchers should more carefully track plumage color expression during the course of a year, as seasonal color shifts may have important consequences for late-season male–male competitive interactions and flexible female mating tactics (e.g., social mate switching, choice of extra-pair partners). Potential mechanisms for this seasonal plumage color shift are discussed.

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
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