Dark nests and conspicuousness in color patterns of nestlings of altricial birds

The American Naturalist
Jesús M AvilésJuan J Soler

Abstract

Nests of altricial birds exhibit variable spectral properties that may affect the efficacy (conspicuousness) of the colored begging traits that a nestling displays to its parents. Here we explored whether selection for efficient perception has favored the evolution of nestling color designs that maximizes nestling detectability in variable light environments. Visual models were used to estimate how parents perceive the coloration of mouths, flanges, heads, and breasts of nestlings within their nest in 21 species of European birds. We show that the largest chromatic and achromatic contrasts against the nest background appeared for nestling mouths and flanges, respectively. Nestlings of open-nesting species showed a larger general achromatic contrast with the nest than did nestlings of hole-nesting species. However, nestlings of hole nesters showed a more evident achromatic contrast between flanges and other traits than did nestlings of open nesters. In addition, species with larger clutch sizes showed larger general achromatic contrasts with the nest. Gaping traits of open-nesting species contrasting with the nest background were better perceived under rich light regimes than under poor ones. These findings are consistent with a...Continue Reading

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Citations

Nov 27, 2009·Die Naturwissenschaften·Jesús M AvilésJuan J Soler
Feb 7, 2013·Oecologia·M Ruiz-RodríguezM Martín-Vivaldi
Oct 30, 2009·Biology Letters·Deseada ParejoJuan Rodríguez
Sep 17, 2011·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Branislav IgicMark E Hauber
Jan 13, 2012·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Jesús M AvilésBård G Stokke
Nov 22, 2013·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Marcel HonzaPetr Procházka
Jul 12, 2014·Die Naturwissenschaften·Juan J SolerN Juárez-García-Pelayo
Jan 13, 2010·Current Biology : CB·Phillip Cassey
Aug 16, 2016·Ecology and Evolution·Daniel HanleyMarcel Honza
Feb 7, 2009·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·J M Avilés, J J Soler
Dec 17, 2009·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·J M AvilésB G Stokke
Sep 4, 2019·Nature Ecology & Evolution·Luis M San-JoseAlexandre Roulin
Sep 4, 2019·Nature Ecology & Evolution·Jesús M Avilés
May 19, 2020·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Jesús M Avilés
Jan 27, 2015·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Zachary AidalaMark E Hauber

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