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Cited by 33Animal Behavior and ReproductionAvian ecology and behaviorEvolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior

Aerodynamic costs of long tails in male barn swallows Hirundo rustica and the evolution of sexual size dimorphism

Barbosa, A.·1999·Behavioral Ecology
DOI 10.1093/beheco/10.2.128
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Abstract

Exaggerated tail feathers of birds constitute a standard example of evolution of extravagant characters due to sexual selection. Such secondary sexual traits are assumed to be costly to produce and maintain, and they usually are accompanied by morphological adaptations that tend to reduce their costs. The aerodynamic costs for male barn swallows Hirundo rustica of having long tails were quantified using aerodynamics theory applied to morphological data from seven European populations. Latitudinal differences in tail length were positively correlated with differences in flight costs predicted by aerodynamics theory. A positive relationship between aerodynamic costs of long tails and the degree of sexual size dimorphism was found among populations. Latitudinal differences in foraging costs may result in tail length being relatively similar in males and females in southern populations, whereas the low foraging costs for males in northern populations may allow them to cope with higher aerodynamic costs, giving rise to large sexual size dimorphism. Enlargement of wingspan in males can alleviate but not eliminate the costs of tail exaggeration, and therefore differences in aerodynamic costs of male ornaments were maintained among populations. Sexual size dimorphism in the barn swallow arises as a consequence of latitudinal differences in the advantages of sexual selection for males and the costs of long tails for males and females.

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Crossref · 10.1093/beheco/10.2.128

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63 of 63 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Several studies have made inferences about the costs of carrying exaggerated traits by either removing or artificially exaggerating them further.

    “Several studies have made inferences about the costs of carrying exaggerated traits by either removing or artificially exaggerating them further51516171819.”

    From The peacock train does not handicap cursorial locomotor performance (2016) · cites this paper as [15]

  • Previous studies in birds have tended to focus on the influence of sexually selected traits during flight rather than terrestrial locomotion.

    “Previous studies in birds have tended to focus on the influence of sexually selected traits during flight rather than terrestrial locomotion51516171819.”

    From The peacock train does not handicap cursorial locomotor performance (2016) · cites this paper as [15]

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Authors
Barbosa, A.
Corresponding author
Barbosa, A.
ORCID
Barbosa, A.
Venue
Behavioral Ecology
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
1999-03-01
Volume
10
Issue
2
Pages
128-135
ISSN
  • 1045-2249 (ISSN-L)
  • 1465-7279
DOI
10.1093/beheco/10.2.128
OpenAlex
W2168985544
Cited by
33
References
63
Citations by year
2024: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
FWCI
2.37
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Behavioral Ecology (publishedVersion)
  • HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Avian ecology and behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
Keywords
Hirundo rustica, tail length, sexual size dimorphism, sexual selection, flight costs, latitudinal variation, wing span, foraging costs

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