This paper shows how our knowledge of the evolution, ecology and conservation of birds
can be improved through the analysis of external morphological traits. After giving a short …

Migratory birds have less time for moulting than sedentary birds, which may force them to
produce their feathers faster at the expense of reducing feather quality. However, the effects …

Understanding how environmental variation influences the distribution of parasite diversity is
critical if we are to anticipate disease emergence risks associated with global change …

Migration causes temporal and energetic constraints during plumage development, which
can compromise feather structure and function. In turn, given the importance of a good …

Obligate symbionts (including parasites, commensals and mutualists) often share host
species and host-based food resources. Such symbionts are frequently distributed …

In migratory species, the way in which conspecifics from different breeding populations are
distributed during the non‐breeding period is important from and ecological, evolutionary …

In temperate regions, many vector-borne parasites maximise their transmission prospects by
adjusting reproduction to seasonal cycles of host susceptibility and vector availability …

When different populations of the same bird species share non‐breeding habitats,
competition for food may promote resource partitioning. We studied food choice by resident …

Predation exerts strong selection pressure on morphological traits and is often studied in
freshwater fishes. A common morphological ecophenotype driven by predation from pursuit …

Environment and behavior are widely understood to affect bird morphology, which can lead
to differences among subspecies or populations within a wide‐ranging species. Several …