Coccidial infection does not influence preening behavior in American goldfinches
| Autor: | Adrian Surmacki, Geoffrey E. Hill |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2013 |
| Předmět: |
biology
Ecology Short Communication Intestinal parasite Zoology medicine.disease_cause Spinus tristis Trade-off biology.organism_classification Limit time Limited access Isospora Coccidia Feather grooming Health Plumage medicine Parasites Animal Science and Zoology Feather soiling Infection Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics |
| Zdroj: | Acta Ethologica |
| ISSN: | 1437-9546 0873-9749 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10211-013-0159-z |
| Popis: | Preening behavior in birds is important for the maintenance of thermoregulatory and ornamental functions of plumage. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that birds trade off time between plumage maintenance and other activities. However, the condition-dependent constraints of preening remain virtually unstudied. Here, we present the first experimental test of the hypothesis that intestinal parasite infection impairs preening activity. We studied male American goldfinches (Spinus tristis), a species with carotenoid-based plumage coloration. Following pre-alternate (spring) molt, we manipulated the health of males by infecting some birds with Isospora spp. coccidia and keeping others free of the infection. Although the goldfinches increased preening throughout the captive period, we found no significant effect of coccidial treatment on preening behavior. The effect of coccidia on plumage maintenance may be more pronounced under natural conditions where birds have limited access to food and engage in more activities that might limit time available for preening. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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