A Red Bird in a Brown Bag: The Function and Evolution of Colorful Plumage in the House Finch by Geoffrey E. Hill

Part 1. Prelude

1. Darwinism and Wallacism: A Brief Account of the Long History of the Study of Plumage Coloration

2. A Red Bird in a Brown Bag: An Introduction to the House Finch

3. In the Eye of the Beholder: Color Vision and the Quantification of Color

Part 2. The Proximate Control and Function of Red Plumage

4. You Are What You Eat: Plumage Pigments and Carotenoid Physiology

5. A Matter of Condition: The Effects of Environment on Plumage Coloration

6. Darwin Vindicated: Female Choice and Sexual Selection in the House Finch

7. Fine Fathers and Good Genes: The Direct and Indirect Benefits of Female Choice

8. Studs, Duds, and Studly Duds: Plumage Coloration, Hormones, and Dominance

9. The Feeling's Mutual: Female Plumage Coloration and Male Mate Choice

Part 3. Biogeography and the Evolution of Colorful Plumage

10. From the Halls of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli (New York): Populations, Subspecies, and Geographic Variation in Ornamental Coloration

11. Why Red?: The Evolution of Color Display

12. Epilogue

Glossary

References

Index