Colour vision in diurnal birds falls into two discrete classes, signified by the spectral sensitivity of the violet- (VS) or ultraviolet-sensitive (UVS) short wavelength-sensitive type 1 (SWS1) single cone. Shifts between sensitivity classes are rare; three or four are believed to have happened in the course of avian evolution, one forming UVS higher passerines. Such shifts probably affect the ...

Parasites are organisms that obtain resources from their hosts thereby reducing the host's fitness. Common ectoparasites of birds are the feather or chewing lice, belonging to the order of the Mallophaga. These parasites eat barbs, provoking the destruction of feathers and the consequent deleterious effects on birds (Kose & Møller 1999, Pap et al. 2005). The deleterious effects of parasites on ...

Unusual plumage colours are of interest for environmental and evolutionary questions. This brief article reappraised information on male western capercaillies Tetrao urogallus individuals with atypical white feathers. It was inspired by a casual observation T. u. aquitanicus in the Pyrenees. The presence colour aberrations has been reported several body parts capercaillies. Updated quantificati...

Few results are yet available for integrative biology in chickens. The purpose of this paper is to present some of the studies done in the France-Taiwan collaborative programmes in the framework of integrating data on population history, DNA polymorphisms and performance. The first programme involves the characterization of genetic diversity of chicken breeds using molecular markers, the second...

Colour polymorphism in vertebrates is usually under genetic control and may be associated with variation in physiological traits. The melanocortin 1 receptor (Mc1r) has been involved repeatedly in melanin-based pigmentation but it was thought to have few other physiological effects. However, recent pharmacological studies suggest that MC1R could regulate the aspects of immunity. We investigated...

Abstract According to current theory, the development of different conspicuous ornaments may provide multiple, redundant or unreliable information. However, multiple visual and acoustic traits have not often been tested at same time. In this study, we analyse whether black tie size, yellow breast colour indexes (chroma hue) song parameters (repertoire strophe length, maximum minimum frequency) ...