A red bird in a brown bag: the function and evolution of colorful plumage in the house finch

Abstract

Part 1: Prelude 1. Darwinism and Wallacism: A Brief Account of the Long History of the Study of Plumage Coloration 2. A Red Bird in a Brown Bag: An Introduction to the House Finch 3. In the Eye of the Beholder: Color Vision and the Quantification of Colour Part 2: The Proximate Control and Function of Red Plumage 4. You Are What You Eat: Plumage Pigments and Carotenoid Physiology 5. A Matter of Condition: The Effect of Environment on Plumage Coloration 6. Darwin Vindicated: Female Choice and Sexual Selection in the House Finch 7. Fine Fathers and Good Genes: The Direct and Indirect benefits of female choice 8. Studs, Duds, and Studly Duds: Plumage Coloration, Hormones, and Dominance 9. The Feeling's Mutual: Female Plumage Coloration and Male Mate Choice Part 3: Biogeography and the Evolution of Colorful Plumage 10. From the Halls of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli (New York): Populations, Subspecies, and Geographic Variation in Ornamental Coloration 11. Why Red?: The Evolution of Color Display Epilogue Glossary