Delayed maturation of plumage coloration and plumage spottiness in the barn owl Tyto alba

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_48962357C17E
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Title
Delayed maturation of plumage coloration and plumage spottiness in the barn owl Tyto alba
Journal
Journal für Ornithologie
Author(s)
Roulin A.
ISSN
0021-8375
Publication state
Published
Issued date
1999
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
140
Number
2
Pages
193-197
Language
english
Abstract
The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) varies in plumage from dark reddish-brown to white, and from heavily marked with black spots to immaculate. Males are commonly lighter coloured and less spotted than females. I assessed whether male and female Barn Owls delay the full expression of plumage coloration and spottedness to the second year of life. In Switzerland, I quantified the two traits of birds captured at the nestling stage, first, second and third year of life. Males and females became lighter coloured only from the first to the second year. Males became less spotted only from the first to the second year, and females less spotted from the nestling stage to the first year but more spotted from the first to the second year. Females were also similarly spotted at the second and third year of age. By cutting off small pieces of feathers of females I could recognize which feathers had later been renewed. After a complete moult old females did not change in plumage characteristics.
Keywords
moult, plumage polymorphism, sexual dimorphism
Web of science
Create date
24/01/2008 18:42
Last modification date
20/08/2019 14:55
Usage data