# s-evol: more grey on their backs to camouflage (Meliphagidae and Acanthizidae songbirds)

<< Tropical birds are well known for their colorful appearance: vibrantly colored macaws, parakeets and parrots are widely considered to be the quintessential birds of this region. >>

<< But do birds evolve to become more colorful when they move to the tropics? >>

<<  "The pattern is really clear" Friedman [Nicholas Friedman]  reports, "birds living in the desert tend to be more grey on their backs, while birds living in the forest have evolved to be more of a dark green - we think they are evolving these colors to match their background." >>

<< This would be an example of natural selection, in this case more camouflaged organisms can survive and pass on their genes.
"These results help to explain the origins of the diversity of life, how species end up evolving different characteristics over time" >>

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. New research provides insight into plumage evolution. Nov. 4, 2016.

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-11-insight-plumage-evolution.html

Friedman NR, Remes V. Ecogeographical gradients in plumage coloration among Australasian songbird clades. Global Ecol. Biogeogr. 2016  doi:10.1111/geb.12522 Publ.  Sept. 25, 2016.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/geb.12522/abstract