Abstract
Individuals within populations often show consistent variation in behavioural and physiological traits which are frequently inter-correlated, potentially leading to phenotypic integration. Understanding the mechanisms behind such integration is a key task in evolutionary ecology, and melanin based colouration has been suggested to play a pivotal role. In birds, most of plumage colour variation is determined by two types of melanin, eumelanin and phaeomelanin, but the role of phaeomelanin in avian phenotype integration has been barely investigated. Here, we test for covariation between phaeomelanin-based colouration, behavioural traits (i.e. nest territoriality, aggressiveness, breath rate and parental behaviour) and corticosterone in feathers in the polymorphic scops owl Otus scops, a bird species in which more phaeomelanic individuals display reddish colourations. In males, we observed that reddish males took longer to return to their nests and showed higher levels of feather CORT than more greyish ones. Behaviour and feather CORT were not associated to plumage colour in females. The found associations between redness, behaviour and feather CORT in males, but not in females, might suggest the existence of a sex-specific integrated phaeomelanic phenotype in scops owls.
Highlights
Variation in behaviour and physiology can be correlated across individuals within animal populations [1, 2], giving rise to complex phenotypes [3]
Feather CORT differed with redness so that the reddish males had higher CORT values than grey ones
We found that reddish males have higher levels of CORT in feathers than more greyish ones, suggesting that individuals differing in phaeomelanic colour may have different sensitivity to stress during the moult period
Summary
Variation in behaviour and physiology can be correlated across individuals within animal populations [1, 2], giving rise to complex phenotypes [3]. The funders had no role in study design data collection and analysis,decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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