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How can birds and honeybees see colours that humans cannot see?

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Animals communicate by sending and receiving signals. For example, a mother dingo (Canis lupus dingo) can communicate certain types of information to her pups by using tactile signals conveyed through grooming. — Animal communication Animals communicate by sending and receiving signals. For example, a mother dingo (*Canis lupus dingo*) can communicate certain types of information to her pups by using tactile signals conveyed through grooming.

Birds and honeybees are able to perceive colours beyond the range of human vision because their eyes contain specialized photoreceptors that are sensitive to different wavelengths of light.1

How Honeybees See

Honeybees possess a trichromatic colour vision system based on three types of photopigments within their eyes, with maximum sensitivities in the ultraviolet, blue, and green regions of the spectrum. While humans are sensitive to red light, bees are blind to it. Their ability to detect ultraviolet light allows them to perceive "nectar guides"—patterns on flowers that are invisible to the human eye—which help them locate food sources. These patterns often appear as distinct markings that direct the bee toward the nectar.2345

How Birds See

Similar to bees, many birds possess ultraviolet receptors in their eyes. Additionally, some birds have coloured oil droplets within their receptors that modify the spectrum of light absorbed by their photopigments, which further enhances their colour vision.16

In both cases, the ability to see these colours is determined by the specific opsin proteins within their photoreceptors, which "tune" the eye to respond to specific ranges of electromagnetic radiation.1