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17 results for “preening”
Data from: Innate and adaptive immune proteins in the preen gland secretions of male house sparrows
<p>Recent studies have demonstrated that preen oil acts to reduce or eliminate feather-associated bacteria. The mechanisms underlying this antibacterial activity, however, are incompletely understood. In addition to the activity of alcohols (i.e. 3,7-dimethyloctan-1-ol), recent research has suggested that antimicrobial peptides may underlie the antibacterial activity of preen oil. Here, we document the presence of innate and adaptive immune proteins, lysozyme and immunoglobulin Y (IgY), in the preen oil of house sparrows (<i>Passer domesticus</i>). We suggest lysozyme functions as an antimicrobial agent, with potentially important impacts against Gram-positive feather degrading bacteria. Furthermore, both lysozyme and IgY likely act in local immune defence of the preen gland, and may also play a role in regulating the local microbiome, with potentially important consequences for chemical communication and signalling. Our findings suggest that the preen gland and its secretions should be considered an integral part of the body's first line of defence against invading infections.</p>
Data for: Preening correlates with lower feather bacteria abundance but not feather coloration in a lek-breeding bird
<p>Feathers are structures unique to birds that serve important functions such as flight, thermoregulation, and communication. Bacteria that live on the feathers, particularly ones that can break down keratin, have the potential to damage feathers and disrupt their use in communication. We predicted that birds could behaviorally manage their feather bacterial abundances by preening their feathers. We also predicted that individuals with lower feather bacterial abundances would have brighter and more colorful feathers. To test these predictions, we measured the amount of time individuals in a colony of captive Indian peafowl (<em>Pavo cristatus</em>) spent preening their feathers. We also collected feathers to determine bacteria abundance on the feather surface and to measure feather coloration. We found that birds had lower feather bacteria levels when they spent more time preening their own feathers, but only in female birds. We also found that bacteria abundances were not correlated with any feather color variables we measured. These results suggest that birds can manage feather bacterial abundances by preening but feather bacteria may not influence feather coloration in this species.</p>
Allo-preening is linked to vocal signature development in a wild parrot
<p>Allo-grooming networks in primate social groups are thought to have favored the evolution of vocal recognition systems, including vocal imitation in humans, as a more effective means of maintaining social bonds in large groups. Select avian taxa converged on vocal learning, but it is not clear what role analogues of allo-grooming might have played. Unlike allo-grooming in most primates, allo-preening in birds is usually limited to pair-bonds. One exception to this is during nestling development when siblings preen each other, but it is unknown how allo-preening influences vocal learning. We addressed this question in wild Green-rumped Parrotlets (<i>Forpus passerinus</i>) in Venezuela. Nestlings learn signature contact calls from adult templates. Large broods, age hierarchies and protracted development in this species create the potential for complex allo-preening networks and a unique opportunity to test how early sociality makes the development of vocal learning labile. From audio-video recordings inside nest cavities and a balanced design of different brood sizes, we quantified allo-preening interactions between marked nestlings, to compare to signature contact calls. Controlling for brood size and age hierarchy, the propensity to preen a larger number of individuals (i.e., out-strength) correlated positively with the age at first contact call. Allo-preening and acoustic similarity matrices did not reveal clear correlations within broods, instead larger broods produced greater contact call diversity. Results indicate that allo-preening elongates the period during which contact calls develop, which might allow individuals time to form a unique signature under the computationally challenging social conditions inherent to large groups.</p>
Data for: Preening correlates with lower feather bacteria abundance but not feather coloration in a lek-breeding bird
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Allo-preening is linked to vocal signature development in a wild parrot
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Data from: Innate and adaptive immune proteins in the preen gland secretions of male house sparrows
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FIGURE. 2. Preening comb. A in The South African genus Lepthercus Purcell, 1902 (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) phylogeny and taxonomy
FIGURE. 2. Preening comb. A Lepthercus haddadi sp. nov. (female paratype, NCA 2007/3847). Maxillary cuspules (males). B L. dippenaarae. C L. kwazuluensis. Serrula. D L. mandelai sp. nov. (female, NCA 2014/415A); E L. filmeri sp. nov. (female, NCA 91/1437); F L. haddadi sp. nov. (male, NCA 2007/1486); G L. haddadi sp. nov. (female, NCA 2007/3847); H L. engelbrechti sp. nov. (female, NCA 2018/385); I L. engelbrechti sp. nov. (male, NCA 2018/384); J L. dregei Purcell, 1902 (female, NCA 2012/2333); K L. sofiae sp. nov. (male, NCA 97/395).
Datasets for "Individual and environmental factors influencing preen gland's morphology and physiology in the barn owl (Tyto alba)"
<p><span>Avian preen gland helps birds cope with their environment, although its overall functioning remains unclear. We shed light on the complexity of the preen gland’s functioning by studying how multiple factors associate with gland morphology (size and shape) and physiology (wax secreted) in barn owls (<em>Tyto alba</em>). Individual factors (sex, breeding stage, body condition) were more important predictors of preen gland than environmental factors (temperature, humidity, brood size). Sex, depending on breeding stage in adults, influenced preen gland traits, pointing to the preen gland’s regulation by sex hormones and a greater pressure on females to protect their eggs, offspring and themselves throughout reproduction. Adults and fledglings in better condition had larger glands, pointing to the existence of physiological costs. Temperature and humidity, in interaction with plumage coloration, also influenced but to a lesser extent preen gland traits, suggesting that melanin pigmentation and preen gland act as superseding mechanisms when protecting plumage against microorganisms. Finally, fledglings living in larger broods had larger glands, suggesting a role for the social environment in preen gland’s functioning. Overall, our study supports the idea that preen gland functions in diverse biological contexts within the same species and is thus subject to multiple selective pressures.</span></p>
Video S10. Preening
<p><strong>Video S10.</strong> Preening. Male in nest covering nestling; female perched on rocks below nest engaging in stretching and preening (17 August 2021, 01:15:07 hr). 28.2 MB, .mp4 file, VLC Media Player.</p>
Data from: Preen oil chemical composition encodes individuality, seasonal variation and kinship in black kites Milvus migrans
Evidence that bird odour can encode social information that can be used in chemical communication is growing, but is restricted to a few taxonomic groups. Among birds, diurnal raptors (i.e. birds from the Accipitriformes and Falconiformes order) have always been considered as mainly relying on their visual abilities. Although they seem to have a functional sense of smell, whether their odour can convey social information has yet to be determined. Combining gas-chromatography-mass-spectrometry (GCMS) and microsatellite data, we tested whether chemical compounds from preen gland secretions can encode sex, age, individuality, seasonal differences and genetic relatedness in the gregarious accipitriform black kite Milvus migrans. While no differences in preen oil composition were found between age classes, an individual signature was detected. While a seasonal variation was found in both sexes, compounds differ between sexes in the non-breeding season. Finally, a significant correlation between chemical proximity and genetic proximity was detected in male-male dyads and male-female dyads but not in female-female dyads. Our study provides the first evidence in raptors that preen secretion can convey information that may potentially be used in individual recognition, reproductive synchronization and inbreeding avoidance, and suggests that raptors may rely upon their olfactory abilities more than previously thought. This study opens promising avenues for further studies in raptor chemical communication.
Data from: Feather bacterial load shapes the trade-off between preening and immunity in pigeons
Background: Complex communities of bacteria inhabit the feathers of all birds. Under normal conditions, individuals maintain a healthy state by defending themselves against these potential invaders by preening. The immune system is only triggered when bacteria gain access into the body. Preening is, however, costly and may trade-off with investment in the immune system. To shed light on how birds balance the trade-off between immunity and preen secretions when facing high or low feather bacterial load, we experimentally manipulated feather bacteria load of feral pigeons (Columba livia), and investigated the effects on immune defenses. Results: Birds facing high feather bacterial load had lower immune response to PHA skin-swelling test (a measure of induced pro-inflammatory capacity) than controls, while birds facing low feather bacterial load had higher blood bacterial killing ability (a measure of the capacity to eliminate bacterial pathogens) than controls. No other components of the immune system (i.e., hemagglutination and hemolysis capacity of plasma, primary and secondary responses to KLH and quantity of blood parasites) were found to be affected by feather bacterial load. Conclusion: Pigeons had previously been shown to adjust preening to feather bacterial load. The decrease in the energetically costly inflammatory response of birds experiencing high bacterial load suggests a trade-off between investment in preen secretion and immunity and reinforces the idea that feather microbiota may have a strong impact on the ecology and evolution of the avian host.
Made-up mouths with preen oil reveal genetic and phenotypic conditions of starling nestlings
<p>Animal colouration are due to pigments, nanostructures, or to the cosmetic use of natural products, and plays a central role in social communication. The role of cosmetic colouration has traditionally been focussed on scenarios of sexual selection, but it could also be used in other contexts. Here, by using spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor) as a model system, we explore the possibility that nestlings cosmetically used their intensely yellow coloured uropygial secretion to signal their genetic and/or phenotypic quality to their parents. In agreement with the hypothetical cosmetic use of the uropygial secretion, (i) video recorded nestlings collected secretion with the bill at the age of feathering, (ii) cotton swabs turned to the colour of secretion after rubbing with them nestlings' gape, and (iii) gape and skin colourations correlated positively with that of secretion. Furthermore, we found that (iv) secretion colouration has a genetic component, and (v) associated positively with Vitamin-E supplementation and (vi) with plasma carotenoid concentration, which highlights the informative value of nestling secretion. Finally, (vii) colouration of begging related traits and of secretion of nestlings predicted parental feeding preferences. Consequently, all these results strongly suggest that the cosmetic use of coloured uropygial secretion might also play a role in parent-offspring communication, complementing or amplifying information provided by the flamboyant coloured gapes and skin of nestlings. The use of makeups by offspring to communicate with parents has been scarcely explored and we hope that these results will encourage further investigations in birds and some other taxa with parental care. Keywords: Antioxidants, Begging, Makeup hypothesis, Parent-offspring communication, Uropygium --</p>
Songbird preen oil odour reflects haemosporidian parasite load
<p>Data used for Talbott et al. 2022 <em>Animal Behaviour</em> (in press; anticipated publish date in June 2022). This data set includes capture data, proportion data for preen oil volatile compounds identified and quantified by GC-MS (trace values added; see paper for details), diagnostic data (qPCR for haemosporidian parasite load, given as proportion of parasite to host DNA), and FASTA files for parasite DNA sequences (sequences isolated using 343F/496R primer set)</p>
Data from: Chemical composition of preen wax reflects major histocompatibility complex similarity in songbirds
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Data from: Preen oil chemical composition encodes individuality, seasonal variation and kinship in black kites Milvus migrans
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Made-up mouths with preen oil reveal genetic and phenotypic conditions of starling nestlings
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Data from: Feather bacterial load shapes the trade-off between preening and immunity in pigeons
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Allen Brain Atlas
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DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
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International Brain Laboratory public data
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OpenNeuro
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