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House Sparrows Passer domesticus with larger uropygial glands show reduced feather wear
Author(s) -
MORENORUEDA GREGORIO
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
ibis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.933
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1474-919X
pISSN - 0019-1019
DOI - 10.1111/j.1474-919x.2010.01082.x
Subject(s) - feather , sparrow , passer , biology , zoology , anatomy
This study assesses whether uropygial gland size is related to improved feather quality. To address this question, I analysed the relationship between uropygial gland size and feather wear in the House Sparrow Passer domesticus . The results show that birds with larger uropygial glands had less worn feathers, suggesting that uropygial gland secretions improve feather resistance to abrasion.