Variation in Plumage Coloration of Rosy-Faced Lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis): Links to Sex, Age, Nutritional Condition, Viral Infection, and Habitat Urbanization.

ABSTRACT: Expression of vibrant plumage color plays important communication roles in many avian clades, ranging from penguins to passerines, but comparatively less is known about color signals in parrots (order Psittaciformes). We measured variation in coloration from three plumage patches (red face, blue rump, red tail) in an introduced population of rosy-faced lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) in Phoenix, Arizona, USA and examined color differences between the sexes and ages as well as relationships with several indices of quality, including disease presence/absence (infection with beak and feather disease, Circovirus parrot, and a polyomavirus, Gammapolyomavirus avis), nutritional state (e.g., blood glucose and ketone levels), and habitat type from which birds were captured. We found that differe

SUBMITTER: McGraw KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11617812 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature