Malar stripe size and prominence in peregrine falcons vary positively with solar radiation: support for the solar glare hypothesis
Many falcons ( Falco spp.) exhibit a distinct dark plumage patch below the eye, termed the malar stripe. This stripe is hypothesized to reduce the amount of solar glare reflected into the eyes while foraging, thereby increasing hunting efficiency in bright conditions. Here, we use a novel, global-sc...
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crroyalsociety:10.1098/rsbl.2021.0116 2024-10-13T14:07:03+00:00 Malar stripe size and prominence in peregrine falcons vary positively with solar radiation: support for the solar glare hypothesis Vrettos, Michelle Reynolds, Chevonne Amar, Arjun National Research Foundation 2021 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0116 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0116 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0116 en eng The Royal Society https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ Biology Letters volume 17, issue 6, page 20210116 ISSN 1744-957X journal-article 2021 crroyalsociety https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0116 2024-09-17T04:34:49Z Many falcons ( Falco spp.) exhibit a distinct dark plumage patch below the eye, termed the malar stripe. This stripe is hypothesized to reduce the amount of solar glare reflected into the eyes while foraging, thereby increasing hunting efficiency in bright conditions. Here, we use a novel, global-scale correlative approach to test this ‘solar glare hypothesis' in peregrine falcons ( Falco peregrinus ), the most widespread falcon species, using web-sourced photographs from across the species' global range. We found that the size and prominence of the malar stripe were positively associated with average annual solar radiation, but not with other environmental variables, such as temperature and rainfall. Our results provide the first published evidence for the hypothesis that this plumage feature functions to reduce the amount of solar glare reflected into the falcon's eyes, thereby improving the ability to pinpoint and target agile prey in bright conditions. Article in Journal/Newspaper Falco peregrinus The Royal Society Stripe ENVELOPE(9.914,9.914,63.019,63.019) Biology Letters 17 6 20210116 |
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Open Polar |
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The Royal Society |
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crroyalsociety |
language |
English |
description |
Many falcons ( Falco spp.) exhibit a distinct dark plumage patch below the eye, termed the malar stripe. This stripe is hypothesized to reduce the amount of solar glare reflected into the eyes while foraging, thereby increasing hunting efficiency in bright conditions. Here, we use a novel, global-scale correlative approach to test this ‘solar glare hypothesis' in peregrine falcons ( Falco peregrinus ), the most widespread falcon species, using web-sourced photographs from across the species' global range. We found that the size and prominence of the malar stripe were positively associated with average annual solar radiation, but not with other environmental variables, such as temperature and rainfall. Our results provide the first published evidence for the hypothesis that this plumage feature functions to reduce the amount of solar glare reflected into the falcon's eyes, thereby improving the ability to pinpoint and target agile prey in bright conditions. |
author2 |
National Research Foundation |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Vrettos, Michelle Reynolds, Chevonne Amar, Arjun |
spellingShingle |
Vrettos, Michelle Reynolds, Chevonne Amar, Arjun Malar stripe size and prominence in peregrine falcons vary positively with solar radiation: support for the solar glare hypothesis |
author_facet |
Vrettos, Michelle Reynolds, Chevonne Amar, Arjun |
author_sort |
Vrettos, Michelle |
title |
Malar stripe size and prominence in peregrine falcons vary positively with solar radiation: support for the solar glare hypothesis |
title_short |
Malar stripe size and prominence in peregrine falcons vary positively with solar radiation: support for the solar glare hypothesis |
title_full |
Malar stripe size and prominence in peregrine falcons vary positively with solar radiation: support for the solar glare hypothesis |
title_fullStr |
Malar stripe size and prominence in peregrine falcons vary positively with solar radiation: support for the solar glare hypothesis |
title_full_unstemmed |
Malar stripe size and prominence in peregrine falcons vary positively with solar radiation: support for the solar glare hypothesis |
title_sort |
malar stripe size and prominence in peregrine falcons vary positively with solar radiation: support for the solar glare hypothesis |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0116 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0116 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0116 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(9.914,9.914,63.019,63.019) |
geographic |
Stripe |
geographic_facet |
Stripe |
genre |
Falco peregrinus |
genre_facet |
Falco peregrinus |
op_source |
Biology Letters volume 17, issue 6, page 20210116 ISSN 1744-957X |
op_rights |
https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0116 |
container_title |
Biology Letters |
container_volume |
17 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
20210116 |
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1812813325261602816 |