title: Will the early bird get the mate? Egg lay order influences neural development in European Starling chicks.
abstract: We investigated the role of egg lay order on growth and neural development in pre-fledgling European Starlings, Sturnus vulgaris. Chicks hatched from early-laid eggs had larger relative RA volumes than chicks hatched from later-laid eggs. There were no relationships between lay order and the volume of other brain regions, or chick growth metrics. In adult birds, RA volume is related to song repertoire size, and may affect mate attraction ability. Lay order effects on adult song nuclei should be examined further.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Elizabeth Avenue, St. John's, NL A1B 3X9, Canada.
authors.forename: Kelly Lynn
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Au
authors.forename: Anne E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Storey
authors.forename: Carolyn J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Walsh
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*; D052284:Clutch Size; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D010058:Oviposition; D010063:Ovum / Q000502:physiology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D046749:Starlings / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014828:Vocalization, Animal