The Utility of Plumage Coloration for Taxonomic and Ecological Studies

Plumage coloration in birds serve multiple purposes, including species recognition, sexual selection cues, and camouflage. Differences in plumage coloration can be used to infer evolutionary relationships, identify distinct taxonomic units, and characterize geographic variation. With the advent of electronic devices to quantify plumage coloration quickly and reliably, taxonomic or geographic differences can be exploited for ecological studies. To evaluate the utility of plum- age coloration for taxonomic and ecological studies, I review the basis of plumage coloration and sources of variation. I then review how different studies have used plumage coloration to better understand taxonomic relationships and provide insights into ecological problems.