One obvious reason why people enjoy the existence of birds so much is their bright and varied colors. Humans — and most mammals — seem boring in comparison. But why are birds the colors that they are?

OKINAWA, Japan, Nov. 4 (UPI) --Everything seems brighter in the tropics: the sky, the ocean, the houses, the birds. Think tropics and brightly feathered toucans and parrots come to mind. Why is that?

Explore how the vulturine guinea fowl’s striking blue and white feathers serve more than beauty. From structural coloration ...

The color palette of the birds you see out your window depends on where you live. If you're far from the Equator, most birds tend to have drab colors, but the closer you are to the tropics, you'll ...

The eggshells of modern birds exhibit a spectacular array of rainbow hues—from butter yellow to blood red, palest aqua to darkest cyan. Some are spotted or speckled; others are blemish-free. How and ...

One pastime that many individuals enjoy during the winter months is bird watching. Birds are magnificent creatures that have unique personalities. If you have a birdfeeder, you have probably seen ...

Heliconius charithonia is one of the species of butterflies whose wing patterns scientists scrutinized to better understand the evolutionary process. This butterfly is wild-type; the genetically ...

Six species of swallowtail butterflies occur locally, and they combine yellow, black, orange, blue and red in several diverse patterns that invariably catch the eye. We can marvel at them, but our ...