EFFECTS OF FEATHER LICE ON FLIGHT BEHAVIOR OF MALE BARN SWALLOWS (HIRUNDO RUSTICA)

Parasites may affect host behavior in a number of ways, including their locomotory performance. We investigated whether the number of holes produced by the feather louse (Myrsidea rustica) affected flight behavior in adult male Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) by video-taping flight performance of in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Auk 2002-01, Vol.119 (1), p.213-216
Main Authors: Barbosa, A, Merino, S, Lope, Fde, Møller, A. P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerial locomotion
Animal and plant ecology
Animal behavior
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autoecology
Aves
Barns
Biological and medical sciences
Birds
Ecological genetics
Ectoparasites
Feathers
Flight behavior
Foraging
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Lice
Ornithology
Parasite hosts
Parasites
Swallows
Vertebrata
Vertebrates: body movement. Posture. Locomotion. Flight. Swimming. Physical exercise. Rest. Sports
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Summary:Parasites may affect host behavior in a number of ways, including their locomotory performance. We investigated whether the number of holes produced by the feather louse (Myrsidea rustica) affected flight behavior in adult male Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) by video-taping flight performance of individuals during escape and level flight. Percentage of time spent flapping during foraging flight was positively related to number of holes, but not to other flight parameters such as wingbeat frequency. These results suggest indirect effects of feather lice on host performance that must be considered together with effects of thermoregulation and feather breakage. This is the first report of an effect of parasite load on flight behavior.
ISSN:0004-8038
1938-4254
2732-4613
DOI:10.1642/0004-8038(2002)119[0213:EOFLOF]2.0.CO;2