Color Them Pretty

Blog Category
Discover Nature Notes
Published Display Date
Sep 14, 2015
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Seasonal decorations can help some animals distinguish males from females.  Male deer, elk and moose sport antlers part of the year.  Male broadhead skinks – a kind of lizard – develop bright orange-red heads during the breeding season and the colors of some male fish change or intensify at breeding time.

Bright colors help males attract mates. But bright colors or big antlers might attract unwelcome attention to the site of helpless young. It turns out that frequently, in species where the males and females look dramatically different, the males do no help in rearing the offspring.

Among some animals, the males and females look different year round.  Male mallards have rich, dapper colors while female mallards are dull brown.  Male box turtles are orange-eyed and the females are brown-eyed.

These differences are not limited to animals. Some plants have individuals that are distinctively male or female. In cottonwoods and willow trees, for example, male trees bear flowers that are different in shape than the flowers on female trees.

In Screaming Color

  • Male wood ducks’ plumage is very beautiful, with chestnut, tan, green, red, and white. The brownish female has a distinguishing white eye ring that tapers to a point behind the eye. Males in late summer molt to an “eclipse” plumage that resembles the female’s plumage but with more white on the chin, cheeks, and throat.
  • Adult male broad-headed skinks are usually olive brown with few or no stripes along the side, but during breeding season they develop an orange-red swollen head. Adult females nearly always have light and dark stripes down the back and sides, with a wide, dark stripe down each side being particularly prominent. Hatchlings are jet black with five narrow yellow lines along the back and sides, with a bright blue tail
  • Adult male mallards are easily identified by their green head, chestnut breast, gray body, black back, and white-bordered blue speculum, which is the wing patch located on the secondary feathers. The females are brownish with an orange bill with dark saddle markings. Male vocalizations include a loud graeb-graeb or a whistle.

Search more on animal colors by searching MDC’s Field Guide.

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