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The Color of Birds' Eyes

Yellows, whites, browns, greens, reds . . .
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Adult Cooper's Hawk compared to a juvenile Cooper's Hawk
© Jon Corcoran / Lindell Dillon

Peer into the world of birds, and eyes of many different colors peer back. While eye color isn’t tied to one group of birds or another, a common pattern is a change in eye color as immature birds grow to adulthood. Bald Eagles, Ring-billed Gulls, and ducks such as goldeneyes and scaup have brown eyes as youngsters, and yellow eyes as adults. Red-tailed Hawks reverse this pattern, with their eyes changing from yellow to brown. And the yellow eyes of a young Cooper’s Hawk, pictured here on the right, turn deep red as they reach maturity.

If you ever miss a BirdNote, you can always get the latest episode. Just tell your smart speaker "Play the podcast BirdNote."

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BirdNote®

The Color of a Bird’s Eyes

Written by Bob Sundstrom

This is BirdNote.

[http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/22874, 0.13-.16] 

Peer into the world of birds, and eyes of many different colors peer back.

[http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/165930, 0.11-12]

There shades of light and dark - yellows, whites, greens, the red eyes of certain hawks, ducks, loons, herons, and songbirds. These colors really pop because birds have no white around the iris like we do. So the yellow eyes of a Great Horned Owl or a Herring Gull seem to give the birds a fierce, penetrating glare. If you picture them with soft brown eyes, though, suddenly they seem much less intimidating. 

While eye color isn’t tied to one group of birds or another, a pattern common to many birds is a change in eye color as immature birds grow to adulthood. Bald Eagles, Ring-billed Gulls, and ducks such as goldeneyes and scaup have brown eyes as youngsters, and yellow as adults. Red-tailed Hawks reverse this pattern, with their eyes changing from yellow to brown, while the yellow eyes of a young Cooper's Hawk turn deep red as it reaches maturity.  

Not all birds’ eyes change color as the birds age. But for those whose eye color appears to signal adulthood, this is likely an adaptation that helps them gauge the maturity – and suitability – of potential mates.

For BirdNote, I’m Mary McCann. 

If you ever miss a BirdNote, you can always get the latest episode. Just tell your smart speaker "Play the podcast BirdNote." Learn more on our website BirdNote.org.

###

Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Great Horned Owl [165930] recorded by William R Fish. Ring-billed Gull [122644] recorded by L R Macaulay. Cooper’s Hawk [140257] recorded by Gerrit Vyn. 

Surf ambient - NatureSound # 23 Surf Moderate Sandy recorded by Gordon Hempton of https://quietplanet.com/

BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.

Producer: John Kessler

Executive Producer: Dominic Black

© 2016 Tune In to Nature.org        April 2017 / 2021        Narrator: Mary McCann

 

ID#eye-01-2016-04-29eye-01     

Bob Sundstrom
Writer
Mary McCann
Narrator
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Related Resources

Read more about eye color in raptorsBald Eagle – More at Audubon’s Guide to North American BirdsCooper’s Hawk – More at Audubon’s Guide to North American BirdsGreat Horned Owl – More at Audubon’s Guide to North American BirdsHerring Gull – More at Audubon’s Guide to North American BirdsRed-tailed Hawk – More at Audubon’s Guide to North American BirdsRing-billed Gull – More at Audubon’s Guide to North American Birds

Birds connect us with the joy and wonder of nature. By telling vivid, sound-rich stories about birds and the challenges they face, BirdNote inspires listeners to care about the natural world – and take steps to protect it.

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