TY - JOUR
T1 - Investigating flock-associated mimicry
T2 - examining the evidence for, and drivers of, plumage mimicry in the greater and lesser necklaced laughingthrush
AU - Gosai, Kamal Raj
AU - Zhou, Liping
AU - Liu, Yang
AU - Braun, Edward L.
AU - Kimball, Rebecca T.
AU - Robinson, Scott K.
AU - Jiang, Aiwu
AU - Goodale, Eben
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors.
PY - 2024/4/10
Y1 - 2024/4/10
N2 - Visual mimicry is less understood in birds than in other taxa. The interspecific social dominance mimicry (ISDM) hypothesis asserts that subordinate species resemble dominant ones to reduce aggression. Plumage mimicry has also been consistently noted in mixed-species flocks (MSFs), suggesting a connection to grouping behaviour, although it is unclear whether this is linked to ISDM. We studied greater necklaced laughingthrush (GNLT, Pterorhinus pectoralis) and lesser necklaced laughingthrush (LNLT, Garrulax monileger), which were recently placed in different genera. Measurements of 162 museum specimens showed LNLT converging in sympatry with GNLT in necklace colour, but diverging in necklace to body ratio, with proportionally smaller necklaces. The species were closely associated in six of seven MSF systems from Nepal to China. In a study of foraging behaviour in Nepal, aggression was rare between the species, LNLT followed GNLT and had lower foraging rates when further from GNLT. Our data suggest a link between this MSF-associated mimicry and ISDM, and that the subordinate LNLT may be the mimic and gain more from the resemblance. The species spend much time together in dense and poorly lit vegetation, where the LNLTs resemblance to GNLTs potentially allows them to forage closer to GNLTs than would be otherwise possible.
AB - Visual mimicry is less understood in birds than in other taxa. The interspecific social dominance mimicry (ISDM) hypothesis asserts that subordinate species resemble dominant ones to reduce aggression. Plumage mimicry has also been consistently noted in mixed-species flocks (MSFs), suggesting a connection to grouping behaviour, although it is unclear whether this is linked to ISDM. We studied greater necklaced laughingthrush (GNLT, Pterorhinus pectoralis) and lesser necklaced laughingthrush (LNLT, Garrulax monileger), which were recently placed in different genera. Measurements of 162 museum specimens showed LNLT converging in sympatry with GNLT in necklace colour, but diverging in necklace to body ratio, with proportionally smaller necklaces. The species were closely associated in six of seven MSF systems from Nepal to China. In a study of foraging behaviour in Nepal, aggression was rare between the species, LNLT followed GNLT and had lower foraging rates when further from GNLT. Our data suggest a link between this MSF-associated mimicry and ISDM, and that the subordinate LNLT may be the mimic and gain more from the resemblance. The species spend much time together in dense and poorly lit vegetation, where the LNLTs resemblance to GNLTs potentially allows them to forage closer to GNLTs than would be otherwise possible.
KW - avian plumage mimicry
KW - convergent evolution
KW - interspecific social dominance mimicry (ISDM)
KW - mixed-species flocks
KW - species associations
KW - visual deception
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85190408421&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1098/rsos.230976
DO - 10.1098/rsos.230976
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85190408421
SN - 2054-5703
VL - 11
JO - Royal Society Open Science
JF - Royal Society Open Science
IS - 4
M1 - 230976
ER -