Digit ratios, secondary sexual characters and condition in barn swallows Hirundo rustica

• Published in: Behavioral ecology Vol. 19; no. 1; pp. 16 - 21
• Main Authors: Dreiss, Amélie N., Navarro, Carlos, de Lope, Florentino, Møller, Anders P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.01.2008; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: bird song; digit ratio; Hirundo rustica; morphology; secondary sexual characters; secondary sexual characters; digit ratio; morphology; bird song

The second and fourth digit length ratio (2D:4D) is sexually dimorphic in many vertebrates. This ratio has been suggested to provide an estimate of steroid levels encountered during prenatal development, which may have organizational consequences for physiology and behavior of adults. However, recen...