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Birds See More Colors Than They Wear

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NEW HAVEN, Conn., June 27, 2011 — The brilliant colors of birds have inspired poets and nature lovers, but researchers at Yale University and the University of Cambridge in the UK say that these existing hues represent only a fraction of what birds can actually see. Findings based on study of the avian visual system, reported in the June 23 issue of the journal Behavioral Ecology, show that plumage colors went from dull to bright over millions of years as birds gradually evolved the ability to create newer pigments and structural colors. “Our clothes were pretty drab before the invention of aniline dyes, but...Read full article

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    Published: June 2011
    Glossary
    retina
    1. The photosensitive membrane on the inside of the human eye. 2. A scanning mechanism in optical character generation.
    ultraviolet
    That invisible region of the spectrum just beyond the violet end of the visible region. Wavelengths range from 1 to 400 nm.
    Americasavian visual systemBasic ScienceBehavioral EcologyBiophotonicsbird feathersbird plumagecarotenoid pigmentscolor conescolor sensingConnecticutEuropeevolutionImagingMary Caswell StoddardResearch & TechnologyretinaRichard Prumtetrachromatic color spaceUKultravioletUniversity of CambridgeYale University

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