Margalida Antoni, Almirall Ivan, Negro Juan J
Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (CSIC), 22700 Jaca, Spain.
Institute for Game and Wildlife Research IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Jul 26;13(15):2409. doi: 10.3390/ani13152409.
Different hypotheses have been proposed to explain the function of cosmetic behaviour of bearded vultures, being the signalling individual dominance status the most accepted. However, no advances have been made in understanding this mysterious behaviour, in part due to the secrecy of this species. With the help of camera traps and GPS devices we monitored the use of a ferruginous spring in the Pyrenees (Spain) providing new insights into this aspect of their behavioural ecology. Most of the visits (93.5%) involved a single bearded vulture and bathing behaviour only occurred when a single individual was present, confirming their secretive behaviour. A total of 50% of individuals that visited the site were non-adults, suggesting that cosmetic coloration functions as an attenuating signal that may also benefit subordinate individuals. Future studies with the help of new technologies could help to disentangle some questions about the real function of cosmetic coloration and their social relevance.
人们提出了不同的假设来解释胡兀鹫修饰行为的功能，其中最被认可的是其作为个体优势地位的信号。然而，在理解这种神秘行为方面尚未取得进展，部分原因是该物种的隐秘性。借助相机陷阱和GPS设备，我们监测了西班牙比利牛斯山脉一处含铁温泉的使用情况，为它们行为生态学的这一方面提供了新的见解。大多数到访（93.5%）都只有一只胡兀鹫，且只有当单个个体在场时才会出现沐浴行为，证实了它们的隐秘行为。到访该地点的个体中有50%为未成年个体，这表明修饰性色彩起到了一种弱化信号的作用，可能对地位较低的个体也有益。借助新技术开展的未来研究可能有助于解开一些关于修饰性色彩的实际功能及其社会相关性的问题。
