Many species of songbirds have evolved to have strikingly colorful plumage, aiding them in catching the eye of mates, signaling, and recognizing each other. These eye-catching patterns have long ...

Yale ornithologist Richard Prum has spent years studying the molecules and nanostructures that give many bird species their rich colorful plumage, but nothing prepared him for what he found in ...

A brown-morph tawny owl (Strix aluco), also known as the brown owl, hiding on a tree. This species has two plumage color morphs: brown and grey. (Credit: Anil Öztas / CC BY-SA 4.0) A recently ...

Birds have a dazzling display of patterns, from muted colors to vivid and striking hues. For a long time, scientists believed that the evolution of these traits was a slow process that took place when ...

Life on a volcanic isle appears to give barn owls a blush of red-brown plumage. The high-sulfur environment on such islands influences the birds’ coloration, researchers report March 13 in the Journal ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. GrrlScientist writes about evolution, ecology, behavior and health. Spectacular plumage color like that seen in many parrot ...

The mutations responsible for the white down feathers and larger bodies of the Pekin duck, an elite breed, have been identified, shedding light on how this breed was improved during domestication. A ...