Post-juvenile body moult in the blue tit parus caeruleus: Influence of age and nestling history

Abstract

The influence of sex, age and nestling history (viz. brood size, hatching date and nestling condition) on the progress of post-juvenile body moult in the Blue Tit Parus caeruleus was investigated. The stage of body moult advanced with increasing age in both sexes, but was independent of hatching date, experimental brood size and nestling condition. The estimated age at the onset of post-juvenile moult was 23?46 days and the average estimated age at moult completion was 113 days. After controlling for age differences, females were on average more advanced in moult than males, although the magnitude of this sex effect differed in different study years. The results suggest that in juvenile Blue Tits, an individual?s age and sex are more important determinants of the progress of the post-juvenile moult than nestling condition, brood size or hatching date. © 1998 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.