The Color of Birds' Eyes
5/3/20262 min
Peer into the world of birds, and eyes of many different colors peer back. While eye color isn’t tied to one group of birds or another, a common pattern is a change in eye color as immature birds grow to adulthood. Bald Eagles, Ring-billed Gulls, and ducks such as goldeneyes and scaup have brown eyes as youngsters, and yellow eyes as adults. Red-tailed Hawks reverse this pattern, with their eyes changing from yellow to brown. And the yellow eyes of a young Cooper’s Hawk, pictured here on the right, turn deep red as they reach maturity.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMary McCann· Host0:00
For more than two decades, BirdNote has been your daily escape. A moment of joy, a story that uplifts, and a reminder of the wonder of birds. Because BirdNote's stories bring you joy, inspire you, and brighten your day, please consider supporting these shows with a tax-deductible gift. Your action today helps keep these stories going for years to come. Visit birdnote.org to make a contribution of any amount and celebrate more than two decades of inspiring storytelling. [upbeat music] This is BirdNote. [owl hooting] Peer into the world of birds and eyes of many different colors peer back. There are shades of light and dark, yellows, whites, greens, the red eyes of certain hawks, ducks, loons, herons, and songbirds. These colors really pop because birds have no white around the iris like we do, so the yellow eyes of a Great Horned Owl or a Herring Gull seem to give the birds a fierce, penetrating glare. [owl hooting] While eye color isn't tied to one group of birds or another, a pattern common to many birds is a change in eye color as immature birds grow to adulthood. Bald Eagles, Ring-billed Gulls, ducks,