With flashy feathers and fancy moves, birds of paradise are already known for extravagant looks. But a trick that boosts that zing has been overlooked by science, until now. In the right light, natural biofluorescence can intensify the birds’ colors — an insight that, believe it or not, comes from a trio of fish biologists.
Thirty-seven of the 45 known species of the bird family Paradisaeidae naturally fluoresce, the researchers report February 12 in Royal Society Open Science. It’s the first survey of biofluorescence for these showy birds, say Rene Martin of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and colleagues.
The males of these species have wowed female birds as well