Natasja

=Do owls see in color?= =Introduction:= I've wondered whether owls see in color since they are nocturnal. It doesn't seem like it would make that much of a difference for them. so that's why I am researching whether they do see in color. =Questions:= Can owls or other birds see in color? =Hypothesis:= I think owls see in color, but no one really knows exactly what colors specifically they can see. But I don't think they have much of a color preference because color doesn't seem that important for them. It also depends on the fact that they are nocturnal, because they can see in the dark and they don't really need to see color. Think at least some birds see in color. =Methods and materials:= For my project, I am researching whether the Owls can see in color, or black and white. I'm going to see if whether they see in color influences how they live, since they are nocturnal. I will research owls in general, and then other birds and see if there is a difference I am going to use the internet for my research. =Data:=

Owls:
Owls retinas have "rod" cells which are light sensitive, rod-shaped cells. Even though they are sensitive to light and movement,they do not react well to color. Cells that do react well to color are called "cone" cells, and since owls eyes don't have many of these, owls see in limited color, black and white or varying shades of one color. There is still some debate on whether owls can see in color or not. Some people think because they mostly hunt in low light conditions, there would be not advantage in seeing in color.They also back this up by pointing out the fact that their retina has a lot more rod cells than cone cells and cone cells are associated with color vision. What is probably true is that in good light, owls can identify colors; but not in lower light. This is evidence from an experiment done on Little owls, which were able to distinguish between yellow, green and blue, but it had trouble with red and grey. Some sources say that owls are the only birds that can see in color. There isn't much to back this up, so I don't really know if this is true.

Other birds:
Birds do see in color. birds that are active during daylight hours have the best color vision and birds active at night have really good night vision. Birds also have brightly colored oil droplets in their eye that are involved with interpretation of color vision. It is thought that the different colored oil droplets enhance contrast by acting as in-the-eye light filters. For example, the yellow oil droplets would remove a lot of the blue from the background, which would elevate the contrast between an object and the blue sky. The red oil droplet would get rid of a lot of the green from the background, which would really improve the contrast between an object and trees. The enhanced contrast would definitely increase visual acuity. Some pet birds seem to have color preferences and dislikes. Pet birds, especially African birds, definitely have a response to the color red, especially the babies. Adult African grays seem to react badly to red clothing as well. =Discussion:= So the data I got told me that, since owls have more rod cells than cone cells, they don't see very much in color. But other birds, do see in color. They have colored oil droplets in their eyes, that allow them to see in color. So my data supported my hypothesis. I wasn't sure if owls see in color, but i thought they did. So since they only see in very little color, it partially supported my hypothesis. As for birds in general, I thought at least some birds see in color, and since my data says they do, I it supports my hypothesis. A lot of different sources told me different things, so I wasn't sure exactly what was true and what wasn't so it might have helped if i had a few more sources proving the data I have. Another question to consider how many or what types of birds see in color? This is a question i would have liked to explore. To see what percentage of birds see in color, including owls.

Bibliography:
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www.owlpages.com []

www.pauldfrost.co.uk []

www.birdchannel.com []

http://www.funny-potato.com/images/animals/birds/pictures-birds/bird.jpg