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Does avian conspicuous colouration increase or reduce predation risk?

  • Behavioral ecology - Original research
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Abstract

Animals often announce their unprofitability to predators through conspicuous coloured signals. Here we tested whether the apparently conspicuous colour designs of the four European Coraciiformes and Upupiformes species may have evolved as aposematic signals, or whether instead they imply a cost in terms of predation risk. Because previous studies suggested that these species are unpalatable, we hypothesized that predators could avoid targeting them based on their colours. An experiment was performed where two artificial models of each bird species were exposed simultaneously to raptor predators, one painted so as to resemble the real colour design of these birds, and the other one painted using cryptic colours. Additionally, we used field data on the black kite’s diet to compare the selection of these four species to that of other avian prey. Conspicuous models were attacked in equal or higher proportions than their cryptic counterparts, and the attack rate on the four species increased with their respective degree of contrast against natural backgrounds. The analysis of the predator’s diet revealed that the two least attacked species were negatively selected in nature despite their abundance. Both conspicuous and cryptic models of one of the studied species (the hoopoe) received fewer attacks than cryptic models of the other three species, suggesting that predators may avoid this species for characteristics other than colour. Globally, our results suggest that the colour of coraciiforms and upupiforms does not function as an aposematic signal that advises predators of their unprofitability, but also that conspicuous colours may increase predation risk in some species, supporting thus the handicap hypothesis.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all the volunteers who helped with fieldwork: R. Barrientos, G. Calvo, F. J. Chicano, M. García, O. Gordo, F. Goytre, M. Méndez, J. M. Peralta-Sánchez, M. J. Ruiz and J. J. Soler. M. Máñez, J. L. Arroyo, I. San Martín and the Equipo de Seguimiento de Procesos Naturales of the Estación Biológica de Doñana kindly provided access to their avian surveys. We thank all the personnel of the RBD for logistical support, and J. Moya for statistical advice. We also thank Dr James Dale and two anonymous referees for their straightforward suggestions that greatly improved the manuscript. The Consejería de Medio Ambiente of the Junta de Andalucía authorized our work within the areas with restricted access in the Natural Space of Doñana. This work was funded by projects RNM-02177 and RNM-03822 of the Junta de Andalucía, and CGL2008-01781 and CGL2010-19233-C03-03 of the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Functional and Evolutionary Biology, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (CSIC), Almería, Spain

    M. Ruiz-Rodríguez, J. M. Avilés & D. Parejo

  2. Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain

    J. J. Cuervo

  3. Department of Zoology, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain

    F. Ruano, C. Zamora-Muñoz & M. Martín-Vivaldi

  4. Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Seville, Spain

    F. Sergio, L. López-Jiménez & A. Tanferna

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  1. M. Ruiz-Rodríguez
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  2. J. M. Avilés
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Correspondence to M. Ruiz-Rodríguez.

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Communicated by Oliver Love.

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Ruiz-Rodríguez, M., Avilés, J.M., Cuervo, J.J. et al. Does avian conspicuous colouration increase or reduce predation risk?. Oecologia 173, 83–93 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-013-2599-6

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