| Red-billed quelea |
The most abundant species of wild bird. |
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Queleas are also one of the most variably plumaged birds. |
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| copyright P. Fogarty |
Plumage traits have unusual distributions which vary independently of each other. |
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| from Dale (2000) |
Why are queleas so variable? |
Colourful plumage in most species of birds signals male health and quality. |
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However queleas are different because plumage does not signal quality in this species: |
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| If plumage does not signal quality, then what is its function? |
Plumage variability could facilitate individual recognition among territorial nest neighbours, |
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which breed in huge, densely-packed, highly synchronized colonies. |
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