Meeting Abstract
Indian peacocks (Pavo cristatus) and their close relatives, the peacock pheasants (genus Polyplectron) and the Congo peafowl (Afropavo congensis) court females using highly ritualized displays of iridescent, elaborately patterned, fan-like feather arrays. In this study, we investigated how the dynamic maneuvers performed by displaying males of these species influence the visual signals perceived by females. Specifically, we tested the prediction that visual signals perceived by females are most salient in the configuration used during display for species with iridescent (changeable) displays and complex behavior. We studied multiple species within the family Phasianidae in order to evaluate the hypothesis that such a match would generally apply. Multispectral imaging, and reflectance spectroscopy were used to determine the variation in feather iridescence due to the ranges of illumination and viewing angles found during these behaviors, as well as to measure whether relative humidity influenced iridescence. To relate these data to actual behaviors, we quantified the dynamic display geometries using images and videos of courtship displays. Computer simulations based on these data were used to model the dynamic visual signals generated by iridescent feathers during these displays. These results were then used to test whether the corresponding signal efficacy is well-matched to the geometry and dynamics of the display behavior for each species studied, compared to alternatives.
