Haste makes waste: accelerated molt adversely affects the expression of melanin-based and depigmented plumage ornaments in house sparrows.
Many animals display colorful signals in their integument which convey information about the quality of their bearer.Theoretically, these ornaments incur differential production and/or maintenance costs that enforce their honesty.However, the proximate mechanisms of production costs are poorly understood and contentious in cases of non-carotenoid-b