birding-aus

Re: Black-necked Stork research

To: "Philip A. Veerman" <>
Subject: Re: Black-necked Stork research
From: "Greg Clancy" <>
Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 11:36:15 +1100
Philip,
 
There is no limit to the number of questions!
 
I am really interested to understand why one sex would have a different eye colour to the other and because yellow is an eye colour of some nocturnal birds (owls, frogmouths, stone-curlews), is it an adaptation to nocturnal feeding (or other activity).  If so why doesn't the male also possess a yellow eye as he also forages at night?  The yellow eye would aid in the recognition of the sexes in a species that doesn't usually vocalize and is not otherwise dimorphic, other than on size.
 
The only other example that I know of sexually differeing eye colours is the closely related Saddle-billed Stork of Africa, in which the female also has a yellow iris and the male a brown iris.  The Black-necked Stork was placed in the same genus as the Saddle-billed on the basis of the sexually differing eye colours and other morphological and behavioural similarities.
 
Any ideas on the blue, green and purple sheen on the black plumage of the stork?  Presumably it would reflect the sun and like white feathers would assist in thermoregulation.
 
 
Regards
 
 
Greg
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