Stress Response and the Value of Reproduction: Are Birds Prudent Parents?
- V. Bókony, Á. Lendvai, A. Liker, F. Angelier, J. Wingfield, O. Chastel
- Biology, Environmental ScienceAmerican Naturalist
- 12 March 2009
The results support the brood value hypothesis and suggest that the stress response evolves as an adaptive basis for life‐history strategies, as well as suggesting that circulating corticosterone concentrations might be matched to the anticipated demands and risks during nesting.
Lean birds in the city: body size and condition of house sparrows along the urbanization gradient.
- A. Liker, Z. Papp, V. Bókony, Á. Lendvai
- Environmental ScienceJournal of Animal Ecology
- 1 July 2008
It is suggested that habitat differences in nestling development or adaptive divergence of sparrow populations due to distinct environmental conditions (such as differing predation pressure) may account for the differences along the urbanization gradient.
Larger groups are more successful in innovative problem solving in house sparrows
The analyses of the birds' behavior suggest that the latter was not explained by either reduced investment in antipredator vigilance or reduced neophobia in large groups, and may contain more diverse individuals with different skills and experiences, which may increase the chance of solving the task by some group members.
Multiple Cues in Status Signalling: The Role of Wingbars in Aggressive Interactions of Male House Sparrows
- V. Bókony, Á. Lendvai, A. Liker
- Psychology
- 1 October 2006
It is suggested that bib size and wingbar conspicuousness may convey multiple messages on fighting abilities, specifically on overall aggressiveness and defending potential, respectively, which may serve as amplifiers for the wing displays of aggressive motivation.
Multiple indices of body condition reveal no negative effect of urbanization in adult house sparrows
- V. Bókony, G. Seress, S. Nagy, Á. Lendvai, A. Liker
- Environmental Science
- 2012
Personality Traits and Behavioral Syndromes in Differently Urbanized Populations of House Sparrows (Passer domesticus)
- V. Bókony, A. Kulcsár, Z. Tóth, A. Liker
- PsychologyPLoS ONE
- 4 May 2012
It is suggested that urbanization and/or other population-level habitat differences may not only influence the expression of personality traits but also alter their inter-individual variability and the relationships among them, changing the structure of behavioral syndromes.
Urbanization, nestling growth and reproductive success in a moderately declining house sparrow population
The reproductive success of urban and rural sparrows in a central European country, Hungary is investigated, finding that rural pairs produced more and larger fledglings than suburban pairs, and the difference remained consistent in two years with very contrasting meteorological conditions during breeding.
Latitudinal Distribution, Migration, and Testosterone Levels in Birds
- L. Z. Garamszegi, K. Hirschenhauser, J. Wingfield
- Environmental ScienceAmerican Naturalist
- 25 August 2008
A multivariate model controlling for covariation of predictor variables revealed that latitude remained the strongest predictor of peak T levels, suggesting selection due to migration and breeding synchrony may partially cause the latitude effect, but other geographically varying factors may also play a role in mediatingpeak T levels at different latitudes.
A comparison of problem-solving success between urban and rural house sparrows
- S. Papp, E. Vincze, B. Preiszner, A. Liker, V. Bókony
- Environmental ScienceBehavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
- 2014
It is proposed that while urban animals may be better at exploiting some aspects of novel environments than rural conspecifics, such differences may be modulated by other habitat effects such as reduced nestling development and adult body mass in urban sparrows, which might influence some long-term determinants of innovativeness such as cognitive capacity or physical skills.
Impact of urbanization on abundance and phenology of caterpillars and consequences for breeding in an insectivorous bird.
This study strongly indicates that food limitation is responsible for lower avian reproductive success in cities, which is driven by reduced availability of the preferred nestling diet, i.e., caterpillars, rather than phenological shifts in the timing of peak food availability.
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