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Published online 29 January 2009 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2009.66
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Feather colour indicates survival strategy in birds
Colourful plumage linked to immune response in tawny owls.
The colour of a bird's feathers may by an indication of the strategy its immune system uses to beat pathogens, according to a new study.
Pigments in feathers have been linked to the overall health of birds before.
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Could someone simply test an albino owl for its immune response? How fit Stinchcombe et al., 2004 in this story? (title: linking albinism and immunity)