Mary Caswell (Cassie) Stoddard, PhD
Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Princeton University
Host(s): Franck Polleux (Faculty), Andres Bendesky (Faculty)
The avian advantage: Inside the world of bird color vision
Birds evolved about 150 million years ago, and today they are among the most diverse and colorful land vertebrates. Much of my group’s work investigates color vision and coloration in birds. A key challenge is that birds see differently from humans: most birds are presumed to have tetrachromatic vision (four color cone types) and ultraviolet sensitivity. We established a field system for studying color perception in wild hummingbirds in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. These tiny iridescent birds lead colorful lives, performing spectacular courtship dives and pollinating diverse wildflowers. Our work shows that hummingbirds have impressive color vision, and in particular can perceive non-spectral colors like “ultraviolet+green” that humans lack. Back in the lab, we estimate a “bird’s-eye view” by combining advanced imaging techniques with new computational methods. This has allowed us to test ideas about how birds use color to attract mates, avoid predators and deceive rivals. We also study the mechanisms of color production—involving pigments and structural color (like iridescence)—a pursuit that has led to some surprising discoveries.
Relevant Publications:
Wild hummingbirds discriminate nonspectral colors
Tuesdays@10 is a signature Zuckerman Institute initiative that aims to expose researchers at all levels to high-quality science and stimulate scientific discourse. The speakers featured in this series represent various fields and techniques in neuroscience, and include invited guests of the Columbia Neuroscience Seminars, the Zuckerman Institute's Local Circuits Affiliates Program, and other special seminar series through a combined, collaborative effort of one or more of the following: Columbia's Zuckerman Institute, the Center for Precision Psychiatry, the Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, the Department of Neuroscience, the Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior and the Columbia Translational Neuroscience Initiative, and with support from the Kavli Institute for Brain Science.
More information and a full schedule can be found here.