Animal Behavior & CognitionbioRxivPreprint
An Experimental Study of Social Signaling through Delayed Plumage Maturation in a Colony-Nesting Seabird
Molly M. Hill, Sarah L. Dobney, Liliane K. Fanburg…·Liam U. Taylor
The paper tests the status signaling hypothesis by measuring aggression toward painted plumage models in American Herring Gulls, finding that first-cycle and control plumages elicit less aggression than definitive plumage.
DOI 10.1101/2025.09.05.674431