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Blue tits are ultraviolet tits
journal contribution
posted on 1998-03-22, 00:00 authored by S Hunt, Andy Bennett, I Cuthill, R GriffithsThe blue tit (Parus caeruleus) has been classified as sexually monochromatic. This classification is based on human colour perception yet, unlike humans, most birds have four spectrally distinct classes of cone and are visually sensitive to wavelengths in the near-ultraviolet (300-400 nm). Reflectance spectrophotometry reveals that blue tit plumage shows considerable reflection of UV light. For example, the blue crest shows peak reflectance at wavelengths around 352 nm. Furthermore, the blue tit is sexually dichromatic for multiple regions of plumage, including the crest. Choice trials performed in the laboratory indicate that females prefer males with the brightest crests. This study has implications for both intra-and interspecific studies of sexual selection, as well as future classification of dichromatism, which should not ignore the possibility of variation in reflectance in the UV.
History
Journal
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London series B-biological sciencesVolume
265Issue
1395Pagination
451 - 455Publisher
The Royal Society PublishingLocation
London, EnglandISSN
0962-8452eISSN
1471-2954Language
engPublication classification
C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
1998, The Royal SocietyUsage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
sexual selectionblue titfemale choicespectral reflectanceUV visionsexual dichromatismScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineBiologyEcologyEvolutionary BiologyLife Sciences & Biomedicine - Other TopicsEnvironmental Sciences & EcologyCONE OIL DROPLETSCOLOR PATTERNSMATE CHOICEBIRDSVISIONPATERNITY
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