The Hidden World of Ultraviolet Light | Colour: The Spectrum of Science | BBC Earth Science

Whilst some species, like us humans have evolved to filter out ultraviolet light, there are species that can see it, such as the common starling. Some of the female bird's feathers reflect ultraviolet light, which some theorise make them more attractive to male mates. We also meet another creature with a long-standing reputation for superb eyesight - the eagle.
#UVLight #AnimalScience #Birds
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Taken from 'Colour: The Spectrum of Science' (2015).
Just 15 colours tell the entire story of Earth, life and scientific discovery. This series explains how each of these colours occurs, unlocking the mysteries of nature and the forces that underpin the Universe itself. More than any other planet, the Earth is awash with colour. With its flowers, oceans, rainbows and vast array of animal life, our planet stands out from the blackness of space as a multi-coloured jewel. Our eyes allow us to experience colour as an explosion of vibrant wonder. Colour: The Spectrum of Science examines this miracle of nature, and travels across the world to discover what makes our planet's palette unique.
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[@stefan_becker]

It's a pity that this video didn't show any examples of what landscapes look like in UV light.

[@HI-qw8hf]

It did but yet we can't see it 😉

[@adamhuffman3354]

Yea it’s so interesting! It’s kinda like our own vision is a version of what is there. Like it’s operating on a frequency in the visual cortex itself. Fascinating 🤨

[@randygreen007]

TBH that’s why I’m watching this video.

[@neckashi6971]

@@HI-qw8hf you gotta open your chakras to be able to do that 😂

[@malavoy1]

We have a filter, but we also don't have the fourth color receptor which specifically detects UV like birds do. In addition, birds see more colors, even ignoring their UV detection, due to there being little oil droplets in the color receptor cells that filter out everything but what that specific receptor detects, giving them greater discrimination between nearby shades of the same color, i.e. letting them see more colors.

[@thebestplayerdead956]

I saw a KZbin video long ago of a lady who had 4 color receptors in her eyes. And when she would draw birds, I think she would draw a different color around the parrots eyes

[@tesseract_1982]

​​@@thebestplayerdead956That's a rare genetic condition that basically only women get (due to XX chromosomes I presume), tetrachromacy. They have 2 slightly different types of red cones, e.g. with different maxima. They can discern reddish hues a bit better. So nothing to do with the UV end of the spectrum and sexy secret birb eyeshadow (or crow feet... UV too 😅), but fascinating nonetheless! 😮❤❤

[@user-dz3ie5me2t]

Sorry it's silly but it's just funny that the female presenter suddenly stops laughing when the professor says "life is about food and sex".

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

I absolutely picked up on that. "We were having such a good time"

[@Tenraiden]

You dorps are assuming shit that isn't there

[@sebastianstyles9750]

Came here to write exactly this! Soon as he dropped the sex bomb, she went silent , lol.

[@JesgateOnDown]

@user-dz3ie5me2t And that she seemed completely caught off guard by the fact that the eagle may screech at any moment & not stop

[@OPGamer-wp1si]

So what.... He just told the fact... reality.

[@JC-life-is-good]

We humans still have much to learn about nature and how things work. I'm delighted that I live in a time with technology that allows us to learn much more each day.

[@karenness5588]

When I first met starlings, I thought them the most beautiful of birds and was very disappointed when photographs didn't capture that beauty. Do light eyes see ultraviolet light better?

[@SoberOKMoments]

Saw a fascinating film years ago about what is seen beneath the sea by the animals living there, things and colors humans are unable to see. What a beautiful and colorful world it was that we miss out on.

[@Cleeon]

Yes i ever watching it

[@ayesha8809]

But think of all that is in our world that the animals cannot experience 😉

[@danielm8950]

He sounds like the guy from silence of the lambs. Hello Clarice.

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

Fun fact is mammals have relatively poor vision, with the hypothesis being our ancestors were nocturnal (during the Jurassic and Cretacious). Primates are a little unique for tricolor vision. Other vertebrates like archosaurs (birds, crocodiles, and dinosaurs) have good color vision. Turtles, too. Many fish types (though fish isn't a clade... 😅) Many insects can see ultraviolet light, and invertebrates can see the polarization of light (because their photorecdptors are organized, while vertebrate receptors are randomly arranged. A neat side effect of architecture making vision)

[@Flash1857]

Once read bees see a lot more in ultraviolet ( or IR, I forgot ) and the flowers look like stars on a darker background

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

@@Flash1857 yeah! :) Bees see UV, Blue, and Yellow or Green. Flowers have UV patterns that bees use. Also, those crab spiders that look like flower colorss have Uv markings that lure pollinators, but their visual range colors hide them from organisms like us as camouflage. Biology is so awesome 😁

[@MrGuru666999]

*Removes UV from a crisp image* Leaves a blurry image in color (but the near part of the gloves are in focus) You guys dropped the ball there

[@m3talHalide-rt2fz]

it not to see urine. its because plants absorb uv way differently than bugs and animals - a little extra contrast goes a long way, especially at night.

[@sassa82]

Well, not seeing urine is a blessing.

[@Lazaruslove]

Thats so cool they can eat from their hands. So beautiful

[@iwanabana]

The folks doing the captions might have been listening only in UV.

[@rig8048]

Lol, I'm agree with you. Even the auto-generated captions is better 😂

[@himalaya60]

Molto interessante. Bel documentario. Grazie!

[@dougieranger]

I love these short films, very informative.

[@FaicDanish]

2:09 Incredible. Magnificent creature.

[@MohammadAliAbbas1]

Very informative ❤❤❤❤

[@gaijininja]

I read years ago that early cataract surgery lenses didn't have UV filter like our natural lenses, so patients could see a small amount of one part of the UV spectrum. I don't know how pronounced it was, or what the patients saw, but at some point, the lenses started having UV filters applied. Good idea, as unfiltered UV onto the retina would quickly cause eye cancer.

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

0:57 the way her head turns "excuse me?" 🤨🤔 😅

[@jcortese3300]

If female starlings are more flashy than the males, that's literally the only example I can think of where the male bird isn't the flashier of the two. I think that bears closer study.

[@neutralseife8419]

There are some other birds where the females are more brightly colored than the males. Phalaropes would be an example, which would already be three species. It is rare but starlings are by far not the only ones.

[@okije]

females Eclectus are bright red with some blue accent, while the males are green

[@believeinpeace]

They did

[@saumitrachakravarty]

0:37 The professor could have a side-hobby as a ventriloquist. His lips barely move when he talks.

[@Kemonche]

Lmao 😭 I think he's suffering from a kind of paralysis his one side of body is stiff

[@WildWavesofficial.]

Very informative video ✌️thanks for sharing this with us 😀

[@abrarmullan1]

The best of this clip is 04:12

[@1st1anarkissed]

I have seen a glimmer of this light in the world. Humans cannot see it clearky but we can see it a bit.

[@1st1anarkissed]

UV shine indicates superior health. When my parrots were in best health they "glowed" and in sunshine, it was a visible mauve sheen.

[@firasgh871]

هل الفأر يستفيد من الأشعة ف وق البنفسجية بنظره .اذا كان كذلك فسيتفادى المفترسين

[@RespectTheGanja]

Wait can i train the 200 starlings in my garden to feed from my hand? 😂

[@FutureFrameEdits]

Very. Good information

[@thomazbarros6190]

Beauriful ☺️

[@SquirrelLoverr]

Love this short documentary film. Love this bird. This bird is from Myna {Asian starlings} family ❤❤💖🥰🥰🥰💯

[@Psycandy]

bees and flowers

[@boeingpameesha9550]

My sincere thanks for sharing it.

[@chevvakulasrikanth9260]

We definitely need to sit down & talk with Sasha once .. 😅

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

Visible light waves are such a TINY band of frequencies, it's a wonder that most people do not understand that SOUND is similar. There are vibrations mankind is neither meant to understand, nor are they even capable of doing so. 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨

[@TheFortressAtTheTop]

How do scientists know what and how animals see??? I don't believe that other living beings see with their eyes almost the same as we do. Not only when it comes to colors, but also when it comes to shapes, forms and even dimensions. It is quite possible that the same object, at the same distance from which we are looking - predators see or can see an enlarged image of that object. People are too self-confident and do not think that other inhabitants of this planet see this world in completely different shapes, colors and dimensions.

[@NaturePeace-b7u]

Beautiful video 🌎🌍☀️

[@BanFamilyVlogging]

Just the fact that they can see UV, light which their feathers reflect, means that starlings in general are going to be able to visually pick each other out in the forest more easily. Which might be advantageous, for various reasons 💜

[@Robert-yc9ql]

Nicely done. 😊

[@melaniabladeofmiquella]

Fascinating, nature is life ❤

[@gulfair-cavalry-tango1011]

I'm pleased to see the woman presenter call the eagle back handedly.

[@AWHM]

Bbc needs to work on their audio department, the lady doing the voice-over is making too much mouth noise and sibilance, no wonder no one wants to pay for the service anymore.

[@AutisticEthics]

I wonder if cats and dogs have the same conversations about green and yellow 😂❤

[@josephinebennington7247]

I wonder why trained birds of prey, when held close to a human face, never take a fancy to a nice juicy human eyeball?

[@Drizzy6ixx]

Hey you. Yeah you I'm taking to. If your reading this hope all is well and have a great day😊

[@kissanpunjab]

❤ beautiful

[@user-zt5xz5fz4q]

❤

[@sassa82]

1:51 I dont agree. Humans actually have very good vision in comparioson to many mammals. Most mammals dont even have colour vision.

[@WS_00]

The comparison was to animals, not just mammals.

[@sassa82]

@@WS_00 if its humans vs birds that would be a good comparison. But "animals" would include all multicellular eukaryotic organism, including worms, molluscs, arthropods etc.

[@Friday_WasTaken]

Humans have pretty good across the board version. There are things with better aspects there are things with worse..i give humans like 7/10 for eyeballs :D

[@randyastle3301]

It’s hard to get past my American perspective of starlings as an omnipresent invasive species, from NY all the way down to Guatemala. I saw maybe 80-90 today and just wanted them dead or packing back to Europe. I’m glad they’ve got something for them at least. Not their fault.

[@neutralseife8419]

No video about starlings without some salty amaricans complaining. Stop pretending to be the center of the world. Eurasian starlings are in fact endangered in large parts of there range. You guys spreading sentiment against them really doesn't help.

[@userbosco]

Crows potential UV vision too?

[@themdr00]

👍

[@user-dl5lw4ht3k]

This man is part bionic, a giant 35'Raptor, experimental from Montana USA, attacked him, for his bag of really fresh great treats, in fact it was in Great Falls mt where he was gored for the treats in his left hand.

[@punkdigerati]

Ron Douglas?

[@infinateU]

Ok, more common than binary stars, the Universe is riddled with UV radiating Brown Dwarf stars. Under such conditions, I wonder what eye sight capabilities may arise there?

[@hashi_saga99]

Very true ❤

[@believeinpeace]

Why do they filter UV out if it’s helpful?

[@sassa82]

I thought all birds see UV light.

[@user-vy8kj4ib7v]

This egal makes me say wooooooooooooooooo.

[@sriharshacv7760]

Humans have all the sense combined. That is a big deal. Also, more focus was on the pretty presenter than the content.

[@Solscapes.]

I thought life was about sex as an agnostic high schooler, but that's just what propegates life, not what it's about at all.

[@perfectdentist536]

Its looks like professor getting paralyzed in his right side of his face muscle's.???

[@user-yw5yq5lm2j]

Weak duck 11

[@alanwllms5172]

Food and sex = breeding. That’s it. Life

[@nonchalantd]

♥