Understanding the evolution of phenotypic diversity, including the stunning array of avian plumage characters, is a central goal of evolutionary biology. Here, we applied a comparative analysis to test factors associated with the origin and maintenance of black chest and throat patches, which in some taxa are referred to as 'badges-of-status'. Specifically, we tested whether the evolution of bl...

This study aimed to evaluate the productive performance of third-generation quails selected according color plumage produce a hybrid line distinguished by depending on plumage. 48 females different (Black, Golden, White and Brown) were compared transferred at age five weeks. To hall dedicated breeding containing rooms with dimensions 40 x cm numbered. The randomly distributed individually for e...

1. Male House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) colour their sexually selected plumage with carotenoid pigments, and there has been much interest in the factors that affect their ability to become bright red rather than drab yellow. 2. There is good support for the notions that health, nutritional condition and total carotenoid intake influence colour expression, but there are also suggestions tha...

Intraspecific variation in plumage may have a functional significance in mate choice. As a result, breeding birds are often paired assortatively with respect to colour. However, whether this within-pair correlation is a result of homotypic preference whereby individuals pick a mate that looks like themselves, or directional preference whereby all individuals have the same phenotypic preference,...

Evidence suggests that structural plumage colour can be an honest signal of individual quality, but the mechanisms responsible for the variation in expression of structural coloration within a species have not been identified. We used full-spectrum spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy to investigate the effect of variation in the nanostructure of the spongy layer on expression of s...

Raptors have excellent vision, yet it is unclear how they use colour information. It has been suggested that raptors use ultraviolet (UV) reflections from vole urine to find good hunting grounds. In contrast, UV plumage colours in songbirds such as blue tits are assumed to be 'hidden' communication signals, inconspicuous to raptors. This ambiguity results from a lack of knowledge about raptor o...

Theories of sexual and natural selection predict coevolution of visual perception with conspecific colour and/or the light environment animals occupy. One way to test these theories is to focus on the visual system, which can be achieved by studying the opsin-based visual pigments that mediate vision. Birds vary greatly in colour, but opsin gene coding sequences and associated visual pigment sp...