-----Original Message-----
From: Ian Fraser [
Sent: Saturday, 21 July 2012 2:14 PM
Cc:
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] bedlam (briefly) at Hawker ovals
On 21/07/2012 08:00, Sue-Ellen and Ray wrote:
> So on goes the debate – are birds and dogs colour blind!!
Well that one at least we can answer with some certainty. Dogs see the world in monochrome - like nearly all other vertebrates except frogs, ungulates, primates and birds. Birds not only see all the colour spectrum that we do, but far more. Where we have just three pigments in the cone cells (colour receptors) most birds have four, some five; this means that they discriminate colour much more subtly than us, effectively seeing colours, or at least shades, that we can't. Moreover at least some, probably many, species see shorter wave-lengths than we can, so see colours that we have no names for - we just lump them somewhat dismissively as 'ultra-violet'.
I don't suppose this helps the broader discussion, but S-E and R asked the question....
cheers
Ian
--
Ian Fraser, m("internode.on.net","calochilus51");"> Environment Tours; Vertego Environmental Consultancy PO Box 4148, Weston Creek, ACT 2611
ph: 61 2 6287 4813
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