title: Coccidial infection does not influence preening behavior in American goldfinches.
abstract: Preening behavior in birds is important for the maintenance of thermoregulatory and ornamental functions of plumage. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that birds trade off time between plumage maintenance and other activities. However, the condition-dependent constraints of preening remain virtually unstudied. Here, we present the first experimental test of the hypothesis that intestinal parasite infection impairs preening activity. We studied male American goldfinches (Spinus tristis), a species with carotenoid-based plumage coloration. Following pre-alternate (spring) molt, we manipulated the health of males by infecting some birds withIsosporaspp. coccidia and keeping others free of the infection. Although the goldfinches increased preening throughout the captive period, we found no significant effect of coccidial treatment on preening behavior. The effect of coccidia on plumage maintenance may be more pronounced under natural conditions where birds have limited access to food and engage in more activities that might limit time available for preening.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, 331 Funchess Hall, Auburn, AL 36849 USA ; Department of Avian Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Surmacki
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, 331 Funchess Hall, Auburn, AL 36849 USA.
authors.forename: Geoffrey E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Hill
keywords: Feather grooming; Feather soiling; Health; Infection; Parasites