title: Ecology: ultraviolet reflectance by the skin of nestlings.
abstract: Birds can perceive the reflectance of ultraviolet light by biological structures. Here we show that the skin of the mouth and body of starling nestlings substantially reflects light in the ultraviolet range and that young in which this reflectance is reduced will gain less mass than controls, despite low background levels of ultraviolet and visible light in the nest. We suggest that this ultraviolet reflectance from starling nestlings and its contrast with surrounding surfaces are important for parental decisions about food allocation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology & Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Violaine
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jourdie
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Moureau
authors.forename: Andrew T D
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Heeb
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D009425:Nesting Behavior / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D010802:Phylogeny; D040841:Resource Allocation; D012867:Skin / Q000528:radiation effects*; D020308:Songbirds / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D013557:Switzerland; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D006113:United Kingdom