Colour preferences of UK garden birds at supplementary seed feeders.

Supplementary feeding of garden birds generally has benefits for both bird populations and human wellbeing. Birds have excellent colour vision, and show preferences for food items of particular colours, but research into colour preferences associated with artificial feeders is limited to hummingbird...

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Main Authors: Luke Rothery, Graham W Scott, Lesley J Morrell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2017-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5315500?pdf=render
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author Luke Rothery
Graham W Scott
Lesley J Morrell
author_facet Luke Rothery
Graham W Scott
Lesley J Morrell
author_sort Luke Rothery
collection DOAJ
description Supplementary feeding of garden birds generally has benefits for both bird populations and human wellbeing. Birds have excellent colour vision, and show preferences for food items of particular colours, but research into colour preferences associated with artificial feeders is limited to hummingbirds. Here, we investigated the colour preferences of common UK garden birds foraging at seed-dispensing artificial feeders containing identical food. We presented birds simultaneously with an array of eight differently coloured feeders, and recorded the number of visits made to each colour over 370 30-minute observation periods in the winter of 2014/15. In addition, we surveyed visitors to a garden centre and science festival to determine the colour preferences of likely purchasers of seed feeders. Our results suggest that silver and green feeders were visited by higher numbers of individuals of several common garden bird species, while red and yellow feeders received fewer visits. In contrast, people preferred red, yellow, blue and green feeders. We suggest that green feeders may be simultaneously marketable and attractive to foraging birds.
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spelling doaj.art-10046010b47f41ee9441ef4fc7cdd26e2022-12-22T01:03:40ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032017-01-01122e017242210.1371/journal.pone.0172422Colour preferences of UK garden birds at supplementary seed feeders.Luke RotheryGraham W ScottLesley J MorrellSupplementary feeding of garden birds generally has benefits for both bird populations and human wellbeing. Birds have excellent colour vision, and show preferences for food items of particular colours, but research into colour preferences associated with artificial feeders is limited to hummingbirds. Here, we investigated the colour preferences of common UK garden birds foraging at seed-dispensing artificial feeders containing identical food. We presented birds simultaneously with an array of eight differently coloured feeders, and recorded the number of visits made to each colour over 370 30-minute observation periods in the winter of 2014/15. In addition, we surveyed visitors to a garden centre and science festival to determine the colour preferences of likely purchasers of seed feeders. Our results suggest that silver and green feeders were visited by higher numbers of individuals of several common garden bird species, while red and yellow feeders received fewer visits. In contrast, people preferred red, yellow, blue and green feeders. We suggest that green feeders may be simultaneously marketable and attractive to foraging birds.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5315500?pdf=render
spellingShingle Luke Rothery
Graham W Scott
Lesley J Morrell
Colour preferences of UK garden birds at supplementary seed feeders.
PLoS ONE
title Colour preferences of UK garden birds at supplementary seed feeders.
title_full Colour preferences of UK garden birds at supplementary seed feeders.
title_fullStr Colour preferences of UK garden birds at supplementary seed feeders.
title_full_unstemmed Colour preferences of UK garden birds at supplementary seed feeders.
title_short Colour preferences of UK garden birds at supplementary seed feeders.
title_sort colour preferences of uk garden birds at supplementary seed feeders
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5315500?pdf=render
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