Publication details
Feather corticosterone is not associated with feather growth rate or quality across tropical and temperate passerines
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Peer-reviewed scientific article |
| Magazine / Source | Journal of Vertebrate Biology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-vertebrate-biology/volume-75/issue-26005/jvb.26005/Feather-corticosterone-is-not-associated-with-feather-growth-rate-or/10.25225/jvb.26005.full |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.26005 |
| Keywords | comparative analysis; latitude; life histories; macrophysiology; moult; Passeriformes; stress hormone |
| Attached files | |
| Description | Moult is a challenging stage in the life of birds. Small passerines replace their plumage, a substantial proportion of their body mass, annually to preserve its vital functions. Surprisingly, most species downregulate corticosterone, a major mediator of energy metabolism and the stress response, during this energetically demanding period. Experimental studies suggest that corticosterone has detrimental effects on feather quality and, within species, slows feather growth rate (FGR), prolonging the period when plumage functions are compromised. However, how corticosterone affects moult in natural populations or at the macroecological scale remains poorly understood. In this study, we analysed corticosterone deposited in tail feathers (fCORT), a cumulative measure across multiple days relevant to moult, in an unprecedented sample of 87 passerine species from Europe and the Afrotropics. Our data showed moderate between-and high within-species repeatability, supporting the usefulness of fCORT as a stress record across species. We found no association of fCORT with either FGR or fault bar occurrence. Unlike circulating corticosterone, fCORT did not differ between latitudes. However, there was a weak trend towards higher fCORT in high-elevation tropical species. More research is needed to understand how birds regulate corticosterone during moult and how it affects moult in natural populations. |
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