Naturwissenschaften

, Volume 91, Issue 3, pp 125–129 | Cite as

Multiple UV reflectance peaks in the iridescent neck feathers of pigeons

Short Communication
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

Recent studies of colorful plumage signals in birds have been aided by the finding that birds can see ultraviolet (UV) light and thus may communicate using colors invisible to humans. Some of the pioneering and more pivotal work on avian color vision was performed with domestic pigeons (Columba livia), yet surprisingly there have been few detailed reports of the UV-reflecting properties of pigeon feathers. Here, I use UV-VIS fiber-optic spectrometry to document the full-spectrum reflectance characteristics of iridescent purple and green neck plumage in pigeons. Neck feathers that appear purple to the human eye exhibit four reflectance peaks—two in the UV and one in the blue and red regions—and thus exhibit a UV-purple hue. Neck feathers that appear green to the human eye are characterized by five spectral peaks: two in the UV (UVA and UVB), a predominant green peak, and secondary violet and red peaks, conferring a UV-purple-green color. Such elaborate UV coloration suggests that birds may use an even more complex and ‘hidden’ UV signaling system than previously thought.

Keywords

Reflectance Intensity Colorful Plumage Plumage Region Domestic Pigeon Avian Color 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Acknowledgements

I thank G. Hill for the use of his spectrometer, R. Mirarchi for use of his birds, I. Cuthill and three anonymous referees for supplying valuable comments on the manuscript, and the Environmental Protection Agency (Graduate STAR Fellowship no. 91584201-0) for financial support during manuscript preparation.

References

  1. Andersson S (1996) Bright ultraviolet colouration in the Asian whistling-thrushes (Myiophonus spp.). Proc R Soc Lond B 263:843–848Google Scholar
  2. Andersson S, Ornborg J, Andersson M (1998) Ultraviolet sexual dimorphism and assortative mating in blue tits. Proc R Soc Lond B 265:445–450CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Bennett ATD, Cuthill IC (1994) Ultraviolet vision in birds: what is its function? Vision Res 34:1471–1478PubMedGoogle Scholar
  4. Bennett ATD, Cuthill IC, Norris KJ (1994) Sexual selection and the mismeasure of color. Am Nat 144:848–860CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Bennett ATD, Cuthill IC, Partridge JC, Lunau K (1997) Ultraviolet plumage colors predict mate preferences in starlings. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 94:8618–8621PubMedGoogle Scholar
  6. Blough DS (1957) Spectral sensitivity in the pigeon. J Optic Soc Am 47:827–833Google Scholar
  7. Bowmaker JK (1977) The visual pigments, oil droplets and spectral sensitivity of the pigeon. Vision Res 17:1129–1138PubMedGoogle Scholar
  8. Bowmaker JK, Heath LA, Wilkie SE, Hunt DM (1997) Visual pigments and oil droplets from six classes of photoreceptor in the retinas of birds. Vision Res 36:2183–2194CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Bradbury JW, Vehrencamp SL (1998) Principles of animal communication. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Mass.Google Scholar
  10. Burkhardt D (1989) UV vision: a bird’s eye view of feathers. J Comp Physiol A 164:787–796Google Scholar
  11. Burley N (1981a) Mate choice by multiple criteria in a monogamous species. Am Nat 117:515–528CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. Burley NT (1981b) The evolution of sexual indistinguishability. In: Alexander R, Tinkle D (eds) Natural selection and social behavior. Chiron, New York, pp 121–137Google Scholar
  13. Cuthill IC, Bennett ATD, Partridge JC, Maier EJ (1999) Plumage reflectance and the objective assessment of avian sexual dichromatism. Am Nat 160:183–200CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Cuthill IC, Bennett ATD, Church SC, Hart NS, Hunt S (2000) Ultraviolet vision in birds. Adv Stud Behav 29:159–214Google Scholar
  15. Durrer H (1962) Schillerfarben beim Pfau (Pavo cristatus L.). Verh Naturforsch Ges Basel 73:204–224Google Scholar
  16. Endler JA (1990) On the measurement and classification of colour in studies of animal colour patterns. Biol J Linn Soc 41:315–352Google Scholar
  17. Fleishman LJ, Loew ER, Leal M (1993) Ultraviolet vision in lizards. Nature 365:397CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Götmark F (1999) The importance of non-reproductive functions of bird coloration, especially anti-predator adaptations. In: Adams NJ, Slotow RH (eds) Proceedings of the 22nd international ornithological congress, Durban. BirdLife South Africa, JohannesburgGoogle Scholar
  19. Greenwalt CH, Brandt W, Friel D (1960) The iridescent colors of hummingbird feathers. J Opt Soc Am 50:1005–1013Google Scholar
  20. Hart NS (2001) The visual ecology of avian photoreceptors. Prog Ret Eye Res 20:675–703CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Hill GE (1999) Mate choice, male quality, and carotenoid-based plumage coloration. In: Adams NJ, Slotow RH (eds) Proceedings of the 22nd international ornithological congress, Durban. BirdLife South Africa, Johannesburg, pp 1654–1668Google Scholar
  22. Hunt S, Bennett ATD, Cuthill IC, Griffiths R (1998) Blue tits are ultraviolet tits. Proc R Soc Lond B 265:451–455CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Johnston RF (1992) Rock dove (Columba livia). In: Poole A, Stettenheim P, Gill F (eds) The birds of North America, vol 13. Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Pa.Google Scholar
  24. Johnston RF, Johnson SG (1989) Nonrandom mating in feral pigeons. Condor 91:23–29Google Scholar
  25. Kawamura S, Blow NS, Yokoyama S (1999) Genetic analyses of visual pigments of the pigeon (Columba livia). Genetics 153:1839–1850PubMedGoogle Scholar
  26. Keyser A, Hill GE (1999) Condition-dependent variation in the blue-ultraviolet coloration of a structurally based plumage ornament. Proc R Soc Lond B 266:771–778CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Kilner R (1997) Mouth colour is a reliable signal of need in begging canary nestlings. Proc R Soc Lond B 264:963–968CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Kreithen ML, Eisner T (1978) Ultraviolet light detection by the homing pigeon. Nature 272:347–348PubMedGoogle Scholar
  29. Land MF (1972) The physics and biology of animal reflectors. Prog Biophys Mol Biol 24:77–106Google Scholar
  30. Lucas AM, Stettenheim PR (1972) Avian anatomy: integument. US Department of Agriculture Handbook, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
  31. Maddocks SA, Church SC, Cuthill IC (2001) The effects of the light environment on prey choice by zebra finches. J Exp Biol 204:2509–2515PubMedGoogle Scholar
  32. McGraw KJ, Hill GE, Keyser AJ (1999) Ultraviolet reflectance of colored plastic leg bands. J Field Ornithol 70:236–243Google Scholar
  33. McGraw KJ, Dale J, Mackillop EA, Hauber ME (2002) Different colors reveal different information: how nutritional stress affects the expression of melanin- and structurally based ornamental coloration. J Exp Biol 205:3747–3755PubMedGoogle Scholar
  34. Prum RO (1999) The anatomy and physics of avian structural colours. In: Adams NJ, Slotow RH (eds) Proceedings of the 22nd international ornithological congress, Durban. BirdLife South Africa, Johannesburg, pp 1633–1653Google Scholar
  35. Rice WR (1989) Analyzing tables of statistical tests. Evolution 43:223–225Google Scholar
  36. Senar JC (1999) Plumage coloration as a signal of social status. In: Adams NJ, Slotow RH (eds) Proceedings of the 22nd international ornithological congress, Durban. BirdLife South Africa, Johannesburg, pp 1669–1686Google Scholar
  37. Vorobyev M, Osorio D, Bennett ATD, Marshall NJ, Cuthill IC (1998) Tetrachromacy, oil droplets and bird plumage colours. J Comp Physiol A 183:621–633CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  38. Wright AA (1972) The influence of ultraviolet radiation on the pigeon’s color discrimination. J Exp Anal Behav 17:325–337PubMedGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 2004

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Neurobiology and BehaviorCornell UniversityIthacaUSA

Personalised recommendations