A new study shows that urban great tits have paler plumage than their countryside counterparts. Since the yellow pigment of the breast feathers of great tits comes from the food they eat, the paler yellow plumage of urban birds indicates that the urban environment affects the entire food chain.
As urban areas expand, animals increasingly find themselves living in towns and cities. While some animals may benefit from milder temperatures and fewer natural predators in urban settings, they also have to cope with pollutants and changes in their diet. Previous research has shown that animals in cities are"duller" in terms of yellow-orange-red colour tones compared to their non-urban counterparts. However, previous studies have only focused on single geographic locations.
The yellow colour in the great tit's feathers comes from carotenoids, which the birds get from the insects they eat. These insects, in turn, obtain the nutrient from the plants they feed on. Carotenoids are important antioxidants that help the body combat the toxic effects of pollution. If great tits in cities cannot obtain enough carotenoids from their food, their plumage becomes paler, resulting in weaker defences against the adverse health effects of pollution.
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