ABSTRACT
This chapter evaluates the hypotheses that differently pigmented feathers resist abrasion differently, that the abrasion-resistance of differently colored feathers accounts for the general pattern of color of wood-warblers, and that external coloration protects underlying tissue from the potential damage of ultraviolet radiation. The hypothesized functions of color predict the behavior of differently colored wood-warblers. The predictions are tested by comparative study of the behavior and coloration of wood-warblers. The chapter determines the coloration of male and female wood– warblers in nuptial plumage by using the Munsell color system in direct sunlight. The Munsell system is a spherical array of colored paper samples. The hypothesis that differently colored feathers resist abrasion differently was tested by subjecting feathers of different colors to a measured amount of abrasion. The effect of such abrasion was quantified and the results compared for feathers of different colors.
