Ornamental colors reveal age in the king penguin

Marion Nicolaus (1, 2) , Céline Le Bohec (3) , Paul M. Nolan (4) , Michel Gauthier-Clerc (5) , Yvon Le Maho (3) , Jan Komdeur (2) , Pierre Jouventin (1)

1 CEFE - Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive
2 Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies
3 DEPE-IPHC - Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie
4 Department of Biology
5 Centre de recherche de la Tour du Valat

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.

Mots clés: Plumage maturation; UV; Ornamental size; Mutual ornamentation; Aptenodytes patagonicus

Domaines: Sciences de l'environnement

Marion Nicolaus, Céline Le Bohec, Paul M. Nolan, Michel Gauthier-Clerc, Yvon Le Maho, et al.. Ornamental colors reveal age in the king penguin. Polar Biology, 2007, 31, pp.53-61. ⟨10.1007/s00300-007-0332-9⟩. ⟨hal-00564317⟩