Feather colours of live birds and museum specimens look similar when viewed by seabirds

Abstract

Bird plumage and skin colour can be assessed from museum specimens. To determine whether these accurately represent the colours of live birds when viewed by birds themselves, we analysed the spectral reflectances of live and up to 100‐year‐old museum specimens of five seabird species (White‐faced Petrel Pelagodroma marina, Common Diving Petrel Pelecanoides urinatrix, Grey‐faced Petrel Pterodroma gouldi, Little Shearwater Puffinus assimilis and Fluttering Shearwater Puffinus gavia). Live birds had brighter colours than museum specimens, but there were no significant differences in the wavelengths reflected. Modelling indicated that seabirds would be able to detect colour changes in the skin, but not the feathers, of museum specimens, but only for species with blue or pink feet (Pelecanoides urinatrix and Puffinus assimilis). For seabirds, museum specimens are adequate proxies for feather colour but not for skin colour.