Sexing adult pale-winged starlings using morphometric and discriminant function analysis
- Henry, Laurence, Biquand, Véroniquee, Craig, Adrian J F K, Hausberger, Martine
- Authors: Henry, Laurence , Biquand, Véroniquee , Craig, Adrian J F K , Hausberger, Martine
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465458 , vital:76611 , https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0135628
- Description: Accurate sexing of birds is vital for behavioral studies but can be a real problem in the field, especially for monomorphic species. Our goal here was to characterize the morphology of male and female monomorphic pale-winged starlings (Onychognathus nabouroup), a South African sturnid whose plumage is sexually monomorphic. Morphological measurements of genetically sexed animals indicated that males were statistically larger than females for five measurements: Mass, tail length, tarsus length and wing length. By using a Discriminant Function Analysis based on the measurements taken by one ringer, we were able to predict correctly the sex of 81.10% of the birds of data collected in the field and 77.9% of museum skins independently of year of capture and ringer. The model developed here should be useful for further field studies of this species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Henry, Laurence , Biquand, Véroniquee , Craig, Adrian J F K , Hausberger, Martine
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465458 , vital:76611 , https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0135628
- Description: Accurate sexing of birds is vital for behavioral studies but can be a real problem in the field, especially for monomorphic species. Our goal here was to characterize the morphology of male and female monomorphic pale-winged starlings (Onychognathus nabouroup), a South African sturnid whose plumage is sexually monomorphic. Morphological measurements of genetically sexed animals indicated that males were statistically larger than females for five measurements: Mass, tail length, tarsus length and wing length. By using a Discriminant Function Analysis based on the measurements taken by one ringer, we were able to predict correctly the sex of 81.10% of the birds of data collected in the field and 77.9% of museum skins independently of year of capture and ringer. The model developed here should be useful for further field studies of this species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
The timing of moult in males and females of the monomorphic Pale-winged Starling Onychognathus nabouroup
- Craig, Adrian J F K, Bonnevie, Bo T, Hausberger, Martine, Henry, Laurence
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K , Bonnevie, Bo T , Hausberger, Martine , Henry, Laurence
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/443805 , vital:74155 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC177689
- Description: Pale-winged Starlings Onychognathus nabouroup inhabit the arid western interior of southern Africa and moult-breeding overlap may occur. We collected field data in two successive years on the moult of individual birds, whose sex was confirmed by genetic techniques. Small samples revealed a non-significant tendency for the moult of females in the early stages of wing moult to be more advanced than that of males in both years, but also clear evidence that the starting date of moult differed in the two years. In this species the moult schedule may thus be variable at both the individual and the population levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Craig, Adrian J F K , Bonnevie, Bo T , Hausberger, Martine , Henry, Laurence
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/443805 , vital:74155 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC177689
- Description: Pale-winged Starlings Onychognathus nabouroup inhabit the arid western interior of southern Africa and moult-breeding overlap may occur. We collected field data in two successive years on the moult of individual birds, whose sex was confirmed by genetic techniques. Small samples revealed a non-significant tendency for the moult of females in the early stages of wing moult to be more advanced than that of males in both years, but also clear evidence that the starting date of moult differed in the two years. In this species the moult schedule may thus be variable at both the individual and the population levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
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