Color, Material, and Emotion in Birds with Dr. Dakota McCoy
The second meeting of the Skowhegan Bird Club, a presentation on Color, Material and Emotion in birds by Dr. Dakota McCoy on Thursday, April 29, 2021, 6:30PM EST, in which we all fell in love with the Tailorbird.
Description by Dr. McCoy:
First, I will speak about color and the material world of birds. Colors in nature come from pigments and structures which interact in beautiful and complicated ways. I will describe my research on “super black” birds-of-paradise, which absorb more than 99.9% of light thanks to intricate tiny structures. Super black is an optical illusion that makes bird colors look impossibly bright- even glowing. I further show that sometimes structures interact with red pigment to make colors more, or less, saturated-- a form of deception in mate choice.
Second, I will consider creativity and emotion in birds. Beautiful nest architecture around the world reveals that birds are master weavers with a strong aesthetic sense. But what exactly is going on inside a bird’s head? I will present my work showing that New Caledonian Crows (expert tool-makers of the animal kingdom) feel happier after using a tool, similarly to how we feel happier after we solve a crossword or play bridge. I'll describe anecdotal experiences I have had with crows and parrots that reveal their deep inner lives, their joy, and their playfulness.
Bio:
Dr. Dakota "Cody" McCoy is a Rhodes Scholar and evolutionary biologist who recently completed her PhD at Harvard. Cody is captivated by the creativity and color diversity in birds. She researches the material worlds of nature, including the pigments and structures that make certain birds intensely colorful or “super black” (so dark that nearly no light escapes their feathers). Cody has studied ornate birds-of-paradise and brilliant red tanagers, among other birds. In addition, she has investigated what makes intelligent birds happy through field studies on the New Caledonian crow (genius tool-makers of the avian world). In Fall 2021 she will begin as a Stanford Science Fellow. Cody grew up in Pittsburgh, greatest city in the USA, with four siblings and four dogs.