Eyes see in various wavelengths: birds

1 of 1 Eye of an African grey parrot / Jörg Groß / License

Eyes of some birds, insects, and fish see better than humans because they can detect ultraviolet and/or infrared light.

Biomimicry Taxonomy

	Process information >
	Sense signals/environmental cues >
	Light - non-visible spectrum

Biomimetic Application Ideas

Visibility at night and when rainy, cloudy, murky, etc.

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[Collapse all sections] Summary

"The eyes of some birds, insects, and fish respond to ultraviolet wavelengths. Other animals have a spectral response that includes red or near-infrared. This response is helpful in penetrating cloudy or murky conditions." (Courtesy of the Biomimicry Guild)

About the inspiring organism

Aves
Aves

Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist

Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Visibility at night and when rainy, cloudy, murky, etc.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Manufacturing, security

References

Wolpert, HD. February 2002. Photonic systems in nature can offer technical insights to designers of optical systems and detectors. Spie's Oemagazine. 26-29.

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Comments

Thanks to Duarte Miguel Prazeres for finding and uploading this photo.

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