Birds may see more colors than humans
The feathered animals have evolved ultraviolet vision several times, study finds.
While human eyes have three different color receptors, birds have four, according to study co-author Anders Ödeen of Uppsala University in Sweden.
A new DNA analysis of 40 different bird species finds that a shift from violet and ultraviolet vision in birds has happened at least 14 times in history.
Birds use their color vision to select mates, hunt for food, and to keep an eye on their predators.
“They see potentially more colors than humans do,” Ödeen said. The study’s findings were published Monday in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology.
— Read it at Live Science
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