Birds are the most colorful terrestrial vertebrates on the planet. This is no surprise since birds appear in a wide range of blues, purples, reds, and yellows, while mammals are commonly shades of brown and gray. People often admire brightly colored birds without thinking twice, but have you ever wondered why birds come in so many vibrant colors?
Most animals are colored the way they are for a reason, and birds are no different. Since birds appear in such a wide range of colors, it’s interesting to explore why they look the way they do. There are thousands of living bird species, and the reason for a bird’s coloring varies between species. For most birds, environment and habits play a huge role.
1. Color Vision
Birds have improved color vision compared to humans. We have three cones in our eyes, while birds can have up to five. So, birds can detect a wider range of colors than we can, and their feather displays may seem even more colorful to them. Thus, one of the reasons birds have bright plumage is because it works well with their color vision. Many mammals have worse color vision than humans, which explains why they don’t have colors like red, green, and purple in their appearance.
With birds, even feathers that don’t look brightly colored to us might look colorful to them. Since birds can see more colors, a solid-colored bird might look vibrantly colored to other birds. For example, researchers have found that starlings can see bright UV colors on each other that humans wouldn’t notice, which can help females find mates even though the males have neutral-colored feathers. So, not only are birds more colorful than most terrestrial vertebrates, but from a bird’s perspective, there are even more colors than we can imagine.
2. Healthiness
Bold, vibrant feathers are usually a sign of a healthy bird. Birds with better genes tend to have more colorful feathers. Other birds can pick up on this fact, causing birds to be drawn to the most colorful of their species.
For example, female birds are more likely to choose the more colorful of two males for their mate. So, while a vibrant bird might just look cool to us, other birds can tell a lot about a fellow bird just by how bright their feathers are.
3. Attracting Mates
For most bird species, males and females have coloring differences. This can help birds distinguish the two sexes during mating season. Most females have dull feathers, while males have vibrant feathers that they use to attract females. For species with similar males and females, there may be color differences that are visible to birds but not humans.
Most people know that birds go to extreme lengths to attract mates. They may perform dances or make unique sounds to appeal to potential partners. Of course, color can play a huge role in that, too. Female birds are often drawn to colorful males, especially if the males show off their beautiful feathers.
In many cases, male birds can’t control how vibrant their feathers are. Yet, since colorful feathers are a sign of good genes, females usually want to reproduce with colorful birds. Sometimes, males can make their colors look more appealing by extending their feathers and moving around, but the exact mating efforts vary based on the species.
4. Camouflage
While bright colors might be beneficial for mating, in many cases, they are not ideal for hiding from predators. Yet, when you live in an environment that has lots of bright colors, it is. Colorful birds often live in tropical areas that are full of vibrant flowers and plants, making their coloring not stand out as much as you’d expect.
Not all birds are a mixture of crazy colors, so some birds might display duller or simpler colors because camouflage is more important to the species than using colors for mating. That’s why even though many birds are colorful, some are still brown, white, and black. Yet, as mentioned before, just because these birds seem to be neutral colors to humans and predators doesn’t mean they look that way to other birds.
In some cases, birds might just want to camouflage with other birds of their species, so it doesn’t matter how bright their feathers are. If there’s a group of birds of the same species and one bird is colored differently, that bird is more likely to be targeted by predators. Even if the bird that stands out isn’t colorful, it’s still easier for predators to notice it because it looks different.
For some birds, bright colors might not camouflage them, but it could still deter predators. Many animals associate bold colors with poisonous objects, so predators might avoid colorful birds because they perceive them as dangerous. Thus, there’s no need for those birds to blend in with their surroundings.
5. Location and Temperature
Researchers have found that tropical birds are 30% more colorful than birds living in temperate climates. Those birds also have a wider spectrum of feather colors than birds of other regions. So, location and temperature may have an impact on a bird’s appearance.
While scientists don’t know the exact reason tropical birds are more colorful, there are a lot of factors that likely play a role. A big difference between tropical and temperate environments is that tropical locations have a more consistent temperature range. Thus, birds of those regions likely evolved differently from each other. If temperatures change throughout the year, birds need to adapt to protect themselves, while tropical birds can usually continue their normal appearances and habits year-round.
Birds in tropical habitats may have more energy because of an abundance of food and a lack of environmental changes. Being healthier and more energetic can lead to more vibrant feathers overall. With more energy, they can communicate more with other birds, which colorful appearances can come in handy for.
6. Identifying Species
Birds come in such a wide range of colors, so it’s easy for us to distinguish one species from another. Birds may use colors for that reason, too. If they’re seeking another bird of their species, such as when they’re looking for a mate, they may pay attention to color. Since birds can see more colors than us, they’re likely better at distinguishing two similar species than we are.
In some cases, birds might use color to know which species to avoid. If there are birds of certain colors that are known for fighting with or hunting a bird species, that species might go out of their way to avoid birds of those colors.
7. Attracting Attention
It’s no surprise that colorful animals can quickly become the center of attention. Yet, mating isn’t the only reason birds might want to attract attention. Some birds might use their colors to get other birds to look at them as a way to communicate other needs. They may want to warn birds of dangers or scare off birds that might want to steal their territory. Some birds might use their colors to distract predators, leading them away from nests, eggs, and other birds.
For example, some birds have red patches of feathers under their wings. So, if they see a predator approaching the nest, they will extend their wings and act distressed to make predators think they’re bleeding and injured. Predators will get distracted and follow the bird instead of taking the eggs from the nest.
8. Causing Confusion
Sometimes, a bird’s coloring isn’t meant to attract predators or provide camouflage. It could just be a way to confuse predators in an emergency. For example, pigeons with white patches in their feathers seem to have a better chance of escaping predators. Since predators aren’t used to seeing that color on pigeons, it may cause confusion and make it harder for predators, such as falcons, to grab the pigeons.
Some birds can also spread their wings to show off color patterns that scare threats away. A common example is male peacocks, whose feathers have large spots that look like eyes. Spreading their feathers could stop predators from hunting them down.
9. Diets
Some bird feather colors are caused by diets, and when birds eat certain foods, their coloring can shift. For some birds, their signature color is simply because of what they eat. One example is flamingos, which have iconic pink feathers. However, flamingo feathers are only pink because of their diets, which consist of shrimp and algae. Otherwise, their feathers would look white.
Another example is a house finch, which is usually brown with red pigment near the face. Yet, the more pigment that’s in their food, the redder these birds appear, particularly for males. So, a good diet could cause a male house finch to look more colorful, making them more appealing to females.
10. Feather Structure
Some bird feathers don’t even contain the color pigment we’re seeing. For example, blue birds don’t have any blue pigment in their feathers (blue is the rarest color in nature). Instead, the color is caused by the feather structure and how light interacts with the feathers. When light waves interact with the bird, the feathers look blue to us even though they don’t contain any blue at all. This makes some birds look more colorful than they would be otherwise.
