Data from: Does allopreening control avian ectoparasites?

For birds, the first line of defence against ectoparasites is preening. The effectiveness of self-preening for ectoparasite control is well known. By contrast, the ectoparasite control function of allopreening—in which one birds preens another—has not been rigorously tested. We infested captive pigeons with identical numbers of parasitic lice, and then compared rates of allopreening to the abundance of lice on the birds over time. We documented a negative relationship between rates of allopreening and the number of lice on birds. Moreover, we found that allopreening was a better predictor of louse abundance than self-preening. Our data suggest that allopreening may be a more important means of ectoparasite defence than self-preening when birds live in groups. Our results have important implications for the evolution of social behaviour.

对于鸟类而言，抵御体外寄生虫（ectoparasites）的第一道防线是理羽行为（preening）。自我理羽（self-preening）对体外寄生虫的防控效果已广为人知。相较之下，异体理毛（allopreening，即一只鸟类为另一只鸟类理羽）的体外寄生虫防控功能尚未经过严格检验。我们以相同数量的寄生虱（parasitic lice）侵染圈养鸽子，随后随时间推移对比异体理毛频率与鸟类体表虱类的丰度。我们记录到异体理毛频率与鸟类体表虱类数量呈负相关关系。此外，我们发现相较于自我理羽，异体理毛能更好地预测虱类丰度。我们的数据表明，当鸟类群居时，异体理毛或许是比自我理羽更为重要的体外寄生虫防御手段。本研究结果对社会行为的演化具有重要启示意义。