RT Journal Article
T1 Correlates of individual variation in the porphyrin-based fluorescence of red-necked nightjars (Caprimulgus ruficollis)
A1 Camacho, Carlos
A1 Negro, Juan José
A1 Redondo, Iraida
A1 Palacios, Sebastián
A1 Sáez Gómez, Pedro
AB Many nocturnal animals, including invertebrates such as scorpions and a variety of vertebrate species,including toadlets, flying squirrels, owls, and nightjars, emit bright fluorescence under ultravioletlight. However, the ecological significance of this unique coloration so attached to nocturnalityremains obscure. Here, we used an intensively studied population of migratory red-necked nightjars(Caprimulgus ruficollis) to investigate inter-individual variation in porphyrin-based pink fluorescenceaccording to sex, age, body condition, time of the year, and the extent of white plumage patchesknown to be involved in sexual communication. Males and females exhibited a similar extent of pinkfluorescence on the under-side of the wings in both juvenile and adult birds, but males had larger whitepatches than females. Body condition predicted the extent of pink fluorescence in juvenile birds, butnot in adults. On average, the extent of pink fluorescence in juveniles increased by ca. 20% for every10-g increase in body mass. For both age classes, there was a slight seasonal increase (1–4% per week)in the amount of fluorescence. Our results suggest that the porphyrin-based coloration of nightjarsmight signal individual quality, at least in their first potential breeding season, although the ability ofthese and other nocturnal birds to perceive fluorescence remains to be unequivocally proven.
PB Nature Research
SN 2045-2322
YR 2019
FD 2019-12
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10272/17583
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10272/17583
LA eng
NO Camacho, C., Negro, J. J., Redondo, I., Palacios, S.,  Sáez Gómez, P. (2019). Correlates of individual variation in the porphyrin-based fluorescence of red-necked nightjars (Caprimulgus ruficollis). Scientific Reports, 9(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-55522-y
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 1 jun 2026