Wings of tropical finches: interspecific differences in shape are consistent with levels of mobility, but moult and feather fault patterns are more complex

Abstract

Birds’ wings reflect their life histories, suggesting evolutionary selection for wing shapes and moult strategies. Compared to sedentary species, long-distance migrants have narrower wings (for fast, efficient flight); they have fewer feather faults and avoid moulting flight feathers during migration (to optimise flight surface performance). It is unclear whether these patterns apply to species that fly short-intermediate distances, like tropical nomads. We compared wing shape, feather faulting, and flight-feather moult across five finch species from northern Australia with varying mobility: Pictorella Mannikins (Heteromunia pectoralis) and Gouldian Finches (Erythrura gouldiae) are highly mo..