No evidence for potential sexual information from a monochromatic carotenoid trait in a dichromatic woodpecker species.

We investigated potential information content in red carotenoid-based undertail coverts of 28 pairs of breeding Great Spotted Woodpeckers by comparing plumage reflectance to measures of body condition and reproductive success. Plumage coloration was not significantly associated with sex or age, and did not correlate with body condition or the number of offspring fledged. Further, we found no evidence of assortative mating related to plumage colour. Our research provides an example of an exception from the commonly held hypothesis that carotenoid-based plumage coloration signals individual condition. Future surveys incorporating other plumage traits and physiological measures of condition in Great Spotted Woodpeckers are needed to verify our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]