King penguin ornamentation and acoustics ...

• Main Authors: Kriesell, Hannah Joy, Aubin, Thierry, Planas-Bielsa, Victor, Schull, Quentin, Bonadonna, Francesco, Cornec, Clément, Le Maho, Yvon, Troudet, Laura, Le Bohec, Céline
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2021
• Subjects: Animal communication; Mate choice; Optimal response index; Ornamentation; Penguin; Sexual Maturation; Vocalisations; Binary Object; Adaptive strategies and population dynamics of polar seabirds under environmental constraints ECOPHY-ANTAVIA; Behavioural ecology of subantarctic birds ETHOTAAF; Réseau Thématique Pluridisciplinaire International NUTrition et RESistance aux Stress environnementaux RTPI_NUTRESS; The Beak; King Penguins
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.932450; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.932450

King penguins are sexually monomorphically ornamented seabirds that perform a complex visual and acoustic courtship display. Coloured beak spots and ear patches contain information about the condition and physiological status of adult males and females, but their role as a signal of age has previously only been studied in young birds. Vocalizations have mainly been studied as signals of individuality and not in the context of courtship. We investigate two multicomponent signals in the context of mate choice by analysing beak spot, ear patch, and call parameters of wild king penguins. We explore the relation between those signals and age as well as age-classes (chicks, juveniles, adults). Ornament parameters were weakly correlated to continuous age in males, but not in females, while acoustic parameters were highly correlated to continuous age in both sexes. The calls' fundamental frequency and energy parameters, and all the beak spot parameters reliably classified individuals into their age-class. Since ...