The Use of Wing Shape Indices: An Evaluation

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Abstract
The properties of five wing shape indices were evaluated using data on the wing morphology of 540 Dark-eyed Juncos Junco hyemalis. These indices differed in their ability to detect age and sex related differences in wing shape. Correlations among the indices revealed that some between-index comparisons are not valid. Wing symmetry and pointedness, as identified by these indices, are not independent dimension of wing shape. Comparison of the indices with an independent assessment of wing shape (PCA of the original variables) showed that no two indices of wing pointedness measure the same components of wing shape variation. Wing shape indices do not provide an unequivocal method for the analysis of wing shape and we recommend the use of alternative techniques such as multivariate analysis.

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