Genetic basis of moult, wing length, and body weight in a migratory bird species,Sylvia atricapilla

Abstract

In hand-raised groups of 4 populations of Blackcaps, different patterns of juvenile moult as well as differences in wing length and body weight, adaptive to the various degrees of migratory performance, could be demonstrated. 33 F1-hybrids which were produced experimentally with 2 of these groups (1 African×1 European) showed an intermediate expression of these adaptations relevant to migration, indicating that these physiological and morphological features are under strong direct genetic control.