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Rainfall, but not temperature, negatively affects the growth of Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus nestlings

ABSTRACT Capsule: Growth trajectories of Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus nestlings differed between sexes and were negatively affected by rain but not by temperature during the linear growth phase (LGP). Aims: To model the growth trajectories of Blue Tit nestlings and to identify the main ecological factors affecting them. Methods: Sixty-five nestling Blue Tits from a population in northern Italy were weighed at regular intervals and sexed using molecular genetic techniques. The LGP period was identified and analysed to test for the influence of age, sex, hatching date, brood size, temperature and rainfall on individual daily growth rates during the LGP. Results: Growth curves showed no pre-fledging mass loss. Body mass differed between the sexes, with males being 5% heavier than females at the pre-fledging stage. Daily growth rates during the LGP were higher for males and on non-rainy days, while they were not affected by other factors. Conclusion: The higher daily growth rate observed in males during the LGP may determine the extent of sexual size dimorphism at the pre-fledging stage. Susceptibility of growth trajectories to environmental conditions was limited to rainfall and was similar in the two sexes. This contrasts with findings from previous studies, which found sex-biased environmental sensitivity of Blue Tit nestlings.