Mosaic evolution painted lorikeets a rainbow of color
(PHYSorg.com Biology)

A new study examines how color evolved in one of the flashiest groups of parrots-Australasian lorikeets-finding that different plumage patches on the birds evolved independently through time. The study, published this week in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology, helps explain why it`s possible for the birds` faces and front sides to display a dazzling variety of colors-from vibrant ultraviolet blue only visible to other birds to deep crimson and black-while their wings and backs tend to be the same color: green.