Bigger or long-winged male common crossbills exhibit redder carotenoid-based plumage coloration.

ABSTRACT: Carotenoid-based ornaments are often considered reliable (honest) individual condition signals because their expression implies physiological costs unaffordable for low-quality animals (handicap signals). Recently, it has been suggested that efficient cell respiration is mandatory for producing red ketocarotenoids from dietary yellow carotenoids. This implies that red colorations should be entirely unfalsifiable and independent of expression costs (index signals). In a precedent study, male common crossbills, Loxia curvirostra, showing a red plumage reported higher apparent survival than those showing yellowish-orange colors. The plumage redness in this species is due to ketocarotenoid accumulation in feathers. Here, we correlated the male plumage redness (a 4-level visual score: ye

SUBMITTER: Fernandez-Eslava B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10120982 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature