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Ecology: ultraviolet reflectance by the skin of nestlings

Violaine Jourdie1, Benoît Moureau, Andrew T D Bennett

  • 1Department of Ecology & Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.

Nature
|September 17, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Starling nestlings mouths reflect ultraviolet light, aiding growth. Reduced UV reflectance in young birds leads to less mass gain, suggesting its importance for parental feeding decisions.

Area of Science:

  • Avian biology
  • Animal behavior
  • Sensory ecology

Background:

  • Birds possess the ability to perceive ultraviolet (UV) light through specialized biological structures.
  • UV reflectance plays a role in animal communication and signaling, though its specific functions in altricial nestlings are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of ultraviolet light reflectance from starling nestlings' skin in their growth and development.
  • To determine if UV reflectance influences parental provisioning behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Spectrophotometric analysis of the mouth and body skin of starling nestlings to quantify UV reflectance.
  • Monitoring nestling growth (mass gain) in relation to UV reflectance levels under varying light conditions.
  • Observational studies to assess parental feeding allocation.

Main Results:

  • Starling nestlings' mouth and body skin exhibit significant reflectance in the ultraviolet spectrum.
  • Nestlings with reduced UV reflectance showed significantly lower mass gain compared to controls, even in low ambient UV and visible light.
  • UV reflectance appears to be a crucial visual cue for parents.

Conclusions:

  • Ultraviolet reflectance from nestling starling skin is a key factor influencing growth.
  • This UV reflectance, contrasted against nest surroundings, likely guides parental food allocation decisions.
  • The findings highlight the importance of UV signaling in avian parent-offspring interactions.

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