Birds' tails as signaling devices: Markings, shape, length, and feather quality

American Naturalist

Volumn 151, Issue 2, 1998, Pages 157-173

  Fitzpatrick, Susan ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Coloration; Handicaps; Quality indicators; Sexual selection; Signals; Tail shape

Indexed keywords

MORPHOLOGY; SIGNALLING; TAIL FEATHER;

EID: 0031937741     PISSN: 00030147     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1086/286109     Document Type: Article

References (65)

1. Alatalo, R. V., J. Höglund, and A. Lundberg. 1988. Patterns of variation in tail ornament size in birds. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 34:363-374.
2. Andersson, M. 1982. Female choice selects for extreme tail length in a widowbird. Nature (London) 299: 818-820.
3. _. 1986. Evolution of condition-dependent sex ornaments and mating preferences: sexual selection based on viability differences. Evolution 40:804-816.
4. _. 1994. Sexual selection. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
5. Balmford, A., A. L. R. Thomas, and I. L. Jones. 1993a. Aerodynamics and the evolution of long tails in birds. Nature (London) 361:628-631.
6. Balmford, A., I. L. Jones, and A. L. R. Thomas. 1993b. On avian asymmetry: evidence of natural selection for symmetrical tails and wings in birds. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, Biological Sciences 252:245-251.
7. Bonser, R. H. C. 1995. Melanin and the abrasion resistance of feathers. Condor 97:590-591.
8. Bonser, R. H. C., and M. S. Witter. 1993. Indentation hardness of the bill keratin of the European starling. Condor 95:736-738.
9. Burtt, E. H. J. 1986. An analysis of physical, physiological, and optical aspects of avian coloration with emphasis on wood-warblers. Ornithological Monographs 38:1-126.
10. Chandler, C. R. 1995. Practical considerations in the use of simultaneous inference for multiple tests. Animal Behaviour 49:524-527.
11. Cramp, S. 1985. The birds of the western Palearctic. Vol. 4. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
12. _. 1988. The birds of the western Palearctic. Vol. 5. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
13. _. 1992. The birds of the western Palearctic. Vol. 6. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
14. Cramp, S., and C. M. Perrins. 1993. The birds of the western Palearctic. Vol. 7. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
15. _. 1994a. The birds of the western Palearctic. Vol. 8. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
16. _. 1994k The birds of the western Palearctic. Vol. 9. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
17. Cramp, S., and K. E. L. Simmons. 1977. The birds of the western Palearctic. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
18. _. 1980. The birds of the western Palearctic. Vol. 2. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
19. _. 1983. The birds of the western Palearctic. Vol. 3. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
20. Darwin, C. 1871. The descent of man and selection in relation to sex. Murray, London.
21. Enquist, M., and A. Arak. 1993. Selection of exaggerated male traits by female aesthetic senses. Nature (London) 361:446-448.
22. Evans, M. R. 1993. Fluctuating asymmetry and long tails: the mechanical effects of asymmetry may act to enforce honest advertisement. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, Biological Sciences 253:205-209.
23. Evans, M. R., and P. Barnard: 1995. Variable sexual ornaments in scarlet-tufted malachite sunbirds (Nectarinia johnstoni) on Mount Kenya. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 54:371-381.
24. Evans, M. R., T. L. F. Martins, and M. Haley. 1994. The asymmetrical cost of tail elongation in red-billed streamertails. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, Biological Sciences 256:97-103.
25. Fitzpatrick, S. 1997. Patterns of morphometric variation in birds' tails: length, shape and variability. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 62:145-162.
26. Fitzpatrick, S., and P. Price. 1997. Magpies' tails: damage as an indicator of quality. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 40:209-212.
27. Fitzpatrick, S., A. Berglund, and G. Rosenqvist. 1995. Ornaments or offspring: costs to reproductive success restrict sexual selection processes. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 55:251-260.
28. Grafen, A. 1990a. Sexual selection unhandicapped by the Fisher process. Journal of Theoretical Biology 144: 473-516.
29. _. 1990k Biological signals as handicaps. Journal of Theoretical Biology 144:517-546.
30. Grasso, M. J., U. M. Savalli, and R. L. Mumme. 1996. Status signaling in dark-eyed juncos: perceived status of other birds affects dominance interactions. Condor 98:636-639.
31. Harvey, P. H., and M. D. Pagel. 1991. The comparative method in evolutionary biology. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
32. Hasson, O. 1989. Amplifiers and the handicap principle in sexual selection: a different emphasis. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, Biological Sciences 235:383-406.
33. _. 1990. The role of amplifiers in sexual selection: an integration of the amplifying and the Fisherian mechanisms. Evolutionary Ecology 4:277-289.
34. _. 1991. Sexual displays as amplifiers: practical examples with an emphasis on feather decorations. Behavioral Ecology 2:189-197.
35. _. 1997. Towards a general theory of biological signaling. Journal of Theoretical Biology 185:139-156.
36. Höglund, J., M. Eriksson, and L. E. Lindeil. 1990. Females of the lek-breeding great snipe, Gallinago media, prefer males with white tails. Animal Behaviour 40: 23-32.
37. Höglund, J., J. A. Kålås, and P. Fiske. 1992. The costs of secondary sexual characters in the lekking great snipe (Gallinago media). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 30:309-316.
38. Höglund, J., R. V. Alatalo, A. Lundberg, and O. Rätti. 1994. Context-dependent effects of tail-ornament damage on mating success in black grouse. Behavioral Ecology 5:182-187.
39. Holberton, R. L., K. P. Able, and J. C. Wingfield. 1989. Status signalling in dark-eyed juncos, Junco hyemalis: plumage manipulations and hormonal correlates of dominance. Animal Behaviour 37:681-689.
40. Iwasa, Y., and A. Pomiankowski. 1994. The evolution of mate preferences for multiple sexual ornaments. Evolution 48:853-867.
41. Iwasa, Y., A. Pomiankowski, and S. Nee. 1991. The evolution of costly mate preferences. II. The "handicap" principle. Evolution 45:1431-1442.
42. Johnstone, R. A. 1995a. Honest advertisement of multiple qualities using multiple signals. Journal of Theoretical Biology 177:87-94.
43. _. 1995b. Sexual selection, honest advertisement and the handicap principle: reviewing the evidence. Biological Reviews 70:1-65.
44. _. 1996. Multiple displays in animal communication: "backup signals" and "multiple messages". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B, Biological Sciences 351:329-338.
45. Marchetti, K. 1993. Dark habitats and bright birds illustrate the role of the environment in species divergence. Nature (London) 362:149-152.
46. Marchetti, K., and T. Price. 1997. The adaptive significance of colour patterns in the Old World leaf warblers, genus Phylloscopus. Oikos 79:410-412.
47. Michod, R. E., and O. Hasson. 1990. On the evolution of reliable indicators of fitness. American Naturalist 135: 788-808.
48. Møller, A. P. 1991. Sexual ornament size and the cost of fluctuating asymmetry. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, Biological Sciences 243:59-62.
49. _. 1992. Female swallow preference for symmetrical male sexual ornaments. Nature (London) 357: 238-240.
50. _. 1993. Female preference for apparently symmetrical male sexual ornaments in the barn swallow Hirundo rustica. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 32: 371-376.
51. Møller, A. P., and A. Pomiankowski. 1993. Why have birds got multiple sexual ornaments? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 32:167-176.
52. Rice, W. R. 1989. Analyzing tables of statistical tests. Evolution 43:223-225.
53. Ricklefs, R. E., and J. M. Starck. 1996. Applications of phylogenetically independent contrasts: a mixed progress report. Oikos 77:167-172.
54. Rowe, L., and D. Houle. 1996. The lek paradox and the capture of genetic variance by condition dependent traits. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, Biological Sciences 263:1415-1421.
55. Ryan, M. J., and A. Keddy-Hector. 1992. Directional patterns of female mate choice and the role of sensory bias. American Naturalist 139(suppl.):S4-S35.
56. Sibley, C. G., and J. E. Ahlquist. 1990. Phytogeny and classification of birds. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.
57. Thomas, A. L. R. 1993n. The aerodynamic costs of asymmetry in the wings and tail of birds: asymmetric birds can't fly round tight corners. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, Biological Sciences 254:181-189.
58. _. 1993b. On the aerodynamics of birds' tails. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B, Biological Sciences 340:361-380.
59. Thomas, A. L. R., and A. Balmford. 1995. How natural selection shapes birds' tails. American Naturalist 146: 848-868.
60. Wiehn, J. 1997. Plumage characteristics as an indicator of male parental quality in the American kestrel. Journal of Avian Biology 28:47-55.
61. Zahavi, A. 1975. Mate selection - a selection for a handicap. Journal of Theoretical Biology 53:205-214.
62. _. 1977. The cost of honesty (further remarks on the handicap principle). Journal of Theoretical Biology 67:603-605.
63. _. 1991. On the definition of sexual selection, Fish-er's model, and the evolution of waste and of signals in general. Animal Behaviour 42:501-503.
64. Zuk, M., R. Thornhill, J. D. Ligon, K. Johnson, S. Austad, S. H. Ligon, N. W. Thornhill, and C. Costin. 1990. The role of male ornaments and courtship behavior in female mate choice of red jungle fowl. American Naturalist 136:459-473.
65. Zuk, M., J. D. Ligon, and R. Thornhill. 1992. Effects of experimental manipulation of male secondary sex characters on female mate preference in red jungle fowl. Animal Behaviour 44:999-1006.