Many birds are pretty, but birds-of-paradise take decoration to the extreme. The males in this New Guinean family of birds attract their mates using a wide range of colours, accessories and movements. While these displays might look impressive to us, they involve even more than meets the (human) eye.
Scientists from the United States tested museum specimens to discover that almost all birds-of-paradise glow brightly when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. Different body parts glow for different species, but these generally include their feathers, feet, beaks and the inside of their mouths. These areas are often ‘framed’ by other feathers that don’t glow, emphasising the patterns.
Humans can’t see UV light but many birds can. It’s possible these glowing patterns make bird-of-paradise mating displays even more attractive to females, but we can’t be sure without watching the birds in action. It’s not just the boys, though – while females are generally less fancy, they also have feathers that shine bright in the dark.
Lachlan Writes Science 