Nine hundred and sixty-eight bird species, covering all orders, were studied in search of distinctive ultraviolet reflections. All species in the following orders were completely surveyed: Struthioniformes, Tinamiformes, Craciformes, Turniciformes, Galbuliformes, Upupiformes, Coliiformes, Apodiformes and Musophagiformes. The coloured plumage regions in particular exhibited high proportions of UV-reflecting feathers. Bird orders with species which are believed to possess VS (violet-sensitive) cone types mostly had their UV maxima between 380 and 399 nm while orders with species which are assumed to have UVS (ultravioletsensitive) cone types contained significantly species which had their UV maxima between 300 and 379 nm. With an emphasis on non-passerine birds the present study provides evidence that birds of many more groups may see UV light than have been studied to date. Ecological aspects related to UV reflection and perception, as well as sexual dimorphism visible only in the UV, are discussed.

Plumage colour has always been a major criterion when describing and distinguishing bird taxa. Today, the use of reflection spectrophotometry is the most commonly used technique to study plumage coloration. A major advantage of this method is the opportunity of observing reflection beyond the human colour vision range-including the UV-waveband. Traditional taxonomic and phylogenetic research is often based on bird skins held in collections in natural history museums worldwide. Different agents for preservation have been used to prevent skins from being damaged by arthropod pests. Sometimes, parts of the plumage have been contaminated with stains from preservation agents. When dried, they are almost invisible to the human eye under normal sunlight conditions and cause no obvious change to feather coloration. However, some preservation agents contain fluorescent components which show up brightly when illuminated with UV-light. Furthermore, undetectable to the human eye, stains from these agents annihilate UV-reflection, preventing accurate data collection based on the UV-reflection of bird feathers. Measuring plumage parts which have been accidentally stained will lead to a relative underestimate of UV-reflection. In studying 20,000 samples, we found fluorescent stains in some 300 bird skins of varying ages in museum collections throughout Europe and the USA. Different preservation agents have been evaluated for their fluorescence properties.

Die bunte Welt der Vögel spiegelt sich nicht nur im farbenreichen Gefieder, sondern auch im viel breiteren Farberkennungsspektrum wider. Die optischen Sinne der Vögel und ihre Bedeutung für die Ökologie sind erst in jüngerer Zeit in die Arbeit der Wissenschaft eingeflossen. Neue Erkenntnisse in der Taxonomie und Systematik, aber auch in der Verhaltensökologie zeigen eine andere Vogelwelt, die jenseits unseres Wahrnehmungsvermögens liegt. UV-Sehen und UV-Reflexionen bei

No abstract

Die bunte Welt der Vögel spiegelt sich nicht nur im farbenreichen Gefieder, sondern auch im viel breiteren Farberkennungsspektrum wider. Die optischen Sinne der Vögel und ihre Bedeutung für die Ökologie sind erst in jüngerer Zeit in die Arbeit der Wissenschaft eingeflossen. Neue Erkenntnisse in der Taxonomie und Systematik, aber auch in der Verhaltensökologie zeigen eine andere Vogelwelt, die jenseits unseres Wahrnehmungsvermögens liegt. UV-Sehen und UV-Reflexionen bei