Malar stripe size and prominence in peregrine falcons vary positively with solar radiation: support for the solar glare hypothesis

• Published in: Biology Letters
• Main Authors: Vrettos, Michelle, Reynolds, Chevonne, Amar, Arjun
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: The Royal Society 2021
• Subjects: Evolutionary Biology; Stripe; Falco peregrinus
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8169203/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34062086; https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0116

Many falcons (Falco spp.) exhibit a distinct dark plumage patch below the eye, termed the malar stripe. This stripe is hypothesized to reduce the amount of solar glare reflected into the eyes while foraging, thereby increasing hunting efficiency in bright conditions. Here, we use a novel, global-sca...