Blue Is the Color of Desire: The Science, Poetry, and Wonder of the Bowerbird

The bowerbird is an animal that relies heavily on the color blue for its survival. Male bowerbirds construct elaborate bowers from twigs and branches, which they decorate exclusively with blue objects, including blue tail-feathers of parakeets, blue flowers and berries, and bleached bones and shells. In recent years, they have also incorporated blue items from human waste, such as plastic caps and candy wrappers.