Carotenoid accumulation strategies for becoming a colourful House Finch: Analyses of plasma and liver pigments in wild moulting birds

Agriculture & Biology

• Carpodacus mexicanus 100%
• molting 62%
• carotenoids 55%
• pigments 50%
• birds 40%
• liver 39%
• plumage 33%
• feathers 18%
• xanthophylls 15%
• carotenes 13%
• lutein 13%
• color 10%
• Carduelis 9%
• Southwestern United States 8%
• zeaxanthin 7%
• songbirds 6%
• diet 6%
• high performance liquid chromatography 5%
• foraging 4%
• fruits 3%

Earth & Environmental Sciences

• carotenoid 81%
• pigment 63%
• bird 55%
• plasma 51%
• plumage 46%
• feather 22%
• diet 10%
• songbird 8%
• liquid chromatography 6%
• fruit 6%
• health 4%
• food 4%