[pbs] humming birds' color preferences
Adam Fikso
adam14113 at ameritech.net
Thu Oct 5 12:54:35 EDT 2006
My readings in this area do make it clear that hummingbirds do prefer red.
The problem with some of the cited research is that it is indeed
anthropomorphic by reason of ignoring or not controlluing for colors outside
the human visual spectrum. Many apparently blue flowers are QUITE red when
seen through a humming bird's eyes, and birds and insects do learn rapidly
when motivated by hunger. What WE see is not what they (insects and birds)
see. There are a few illustrated articles (in both color and black and
white) that show the differences in what appears to insects' and birds'
eyes .
A few were published in one of the iris-related publications about 10 years
ago. Sorry, I cannot provide a reference right now. (Maybe also National
Geographic.)
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