Saw-whet owl wing glows under ultra-violet light. photo

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2010

Saw-whet owl wing glows under ultra-violet light.

A saw-whet owl's under wing feathers glow when exposed to ultraviolet light. It is due to the existence of a pigment known as porphyrin. The pigment fades as the feathers age, allowing banders to more accurately age the owl.

On another website, someone raised an interesting possibility. Can these owls see in the ultraviolet light (UV) part of the spectrum?

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Dominic Cantin		21-Oct-2010 05:58
Interesting and different ! Dom :)

reflectionsofnature		20-Oct-2010 13:08
That is an interesting question. I just checked a book I have on the topic and according to it owls can't see any part of the UV spectrum. But the reference also states that not every owl species has been tested for UV sensitivity. Maybe Saw-whet Owl hasn't been tested?

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