What is the most colorful bird?

Carmen Miranda
 
Chinese monal, such as this one taken in Tangjiahe, Sichuan by one of my favorite wildlife photographer, Dong Lei:
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A Gouldian Finch is pretty colourful. Six distinct colours, just like the lory from the first post.
 
Batto said:
Depends whether you judge by human or by avian vision. Given the ability of some birds to perceive UV light, apparently plain birds might be much more colorful than you think. A great example:
http://www.arcadia-uk.info/img/content/2-birds.jpg
Click to expand...

That's a good point, Batto. The way that birds see each other is likely a very different perspective than we see them.

I was curious if anyone has investigated the evolution of color visible from a human perspective in avian species. I'm sure that someone has, but it isn't obvious from doing some background research. It seems like it would be an active area of inquiry, especially now that people are starting to figure out how extinct avian relatives like ancient penguins and dinosaurs were colored.
 
Birds with iridescent plumage such as the monal pheasants, sunbirds and glossy starlings appear to change colour when the angle of the light changes (due to interference between the light rays refracted by their plumage).
In terms of the range of 'pure' colours, I would nominate the male painted bunting (aka rainbow bunting) Passerina ciris.

Alan
 
I would vote for the Australian red-capped (or pileated) parrot Purpureicephalus spurius. It looks like God's kid got let loose with a box of crayons and God went "yeah whatever, I'll just leave it like that."
 
I'm not a birder, but a friend has a photo of Ceyx erithaca on their wall. That will be my nomination. It has always caught my eye as beautiful eye-candy.
 
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