Delayed post-juvenile moult in malaria-infected Eurasian blackcaps

Abstract

Parasites have their strongest impact on fitness when host defences deplete resources needed for other critical life-history stages, such as development, breeding or migration. Among birds, one greatly neglected stage that could be altered by parasites is post-juvenile moult (PJM), through which yearling juvenile birds replace their fast-generated, low-quality juvenile feathers with adult-like feathers after leaving the nest. The earlier the birds complete PJM, the earlier they will be prepared to withstand forthcoming challenges, such as adverse winter conditions or migration. We used data from 435 juvenile Eurasian blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) sampled during three years in 26 localities spanning the wide range of environmental conditions across Iberian Spain to test whether haemosporidian infections (presence and abundance in blood of parasites of the genera Haemoproteus, Plasmodium and Leucocytozoon) were related to the progress of PJM. Controlling for body condition, sex, year and date of capture, infected blackcaps (single-infected or co-infected) had lower moult scores indicative of delayed moult, especially when birds had Plasmodium infections or high intensities of Haemoproteus parasites. Our results broaden the range of fitness costs that haemosporidian parasites may have on birds, as delayed post-juvenile plumage acquisition can impact subsequent key life-history stages.