Ornamental colors reveal age in the king penguin

International audience We investigated whether delayed plumage maturation occurred in king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus). Therefore we examined the relationships between age and sex on spectral properties and size of two colored plumage patches and a UV-reXective beak spot, using known-age coho...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Biology
Main Authors: Nicolaus, Marion, Le Bohec, Céline, M. Nolan, Paul, Gauthier-Clerc, Michel, Le Maho, Yvon, Komdeur, Jan, Jouventin, Pierre
Other Authors: Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD France-Sud ), Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen Groningen, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie (DEPE-IPHC), Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA)-Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules du CNRS (IN2P3)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Biology, Centre de recherche de la Tour du Valat
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: HAL CCSD 2007
Subjects:
Plumage maturation
UV
Ornamental size
Mutual ornamentation
Aptenodytes patagonicus
[SDE]Environmental Sciences
King Penguins
Polar Biology
Online Access:https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00564317
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-007-0332-9
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Summary:International audience We investigated whether delayed plumage maturation occurred in king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus). Therefore we examined the relationships between age and sex on spectral properties and size of two colored plumage patches and a UV-reXective beak spot, using known-age cohorts. Unlike the colored patch on the breast, we found age diVerences in ear and beak coloration. These results suggest that head ornaments in king penguins could signal sexual maturity or social status. No sex diVerences were found in the intensity of colored ornaments, which can result from mutual mate choice or genetic correlation between sexes. Size of colored patches did not relate to age or sex.

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