Meeting Abstract
The measurement of stress is a key physiological tool used to investigate the mechanistic linkages of ecological and conservation problems. Glucocorticoids (i.e., corticosterone or cortisol) are a well-established measure of stress; however, measuring circulating levels in the blood can be difficult, invasive, and limited in scope. Measuring corticosterone levels in feathers is a recently proposed alternative which has quickly grown in popularity due to the ease of feather collection. However, a number of details of the method are not well understood, limiting the current interpretation and applications of this tool. Here we investigate how corticosterone levels in naturally moulted feathers respond to a long-term stressor in a wild population of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). Our results provide important guidance on the measurement of stress in feathers and its use in assessing natural and anthropogenic impacts in the wild.
