Ecological correlates in the evolution of moult strategies in Western Palearctic passerines

Abstract

Moult is an important process in the life cycle of birds. Passerines differ widely in the number, seasonality and extension of moult episodes, but the incidence of birds ecology on this variation remains largely uninvestigated. We analysed the patterns of moult in European passerines in relation to their distribution, migration and sexual dichromatism. Longer migrations and southern wintering quarters were characteristic of species with complete moults in summer and an additional moult in winter. The main moult in species with larger seasonal changes in sexual dimorphism tended to be scheduled just before the start of the breeding season, suggesting a link between sexual selection and the timing of moult. These patterns strongly support the importance of migration and dichromatism on the evolution of moult strategies.