How cryptic coloration, wait disruptive coloration, till and countershading it can make birds vanish moves right before your eyes

摘要

Darwin stated that bright male plumages and those with special adornments, such as long tails, result from sexual selection. A. H. Thayer, a somewhat eccentric artist and naturalist of the late 1800s and early 1900s, and a pioneer in the study of camouflage, argued that all plumages were designed to protect the bird from predators, although he later admitted that they may have other functions as well. He gave theatrical demonstrations to argue his case, even asking an audience of doubting ornithologists to leave their chairs and lie on the floor to view camouflage from the vantage point of a predator. Surprisingly, President Theodore Roosevelt joined the fray, although he declined Thayer's invitation to come to his home for a private discussion. Thayer is best known for his lucid explanations of countershading.