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posted February 25th, 2010; last edited April 8th, 2010 –– David Sibley

The two faces of Downy Woodpecker

A few species of birds with false eyespots are well-known: pygmy-owls and American Kestrel come to mind. In these species of birds, spots on the back of the head produce the illusion of eyes, and create what is called deflective (or parasematic) coloration. Deflective coloration is defined as patterns which “produce the impression of a [...]