Pigeons: dark feathers reveal secret to healthy birds

Dark birds attract the opposite sex

Darker coloured pigeons are healthier, researchers in France have discovered.

A study of urban pigeons in central Paris has shown that birds with higher levels of the dark pigment melanin have stronger immune systems.

They are also better able to fend off parasites.

To read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9442000/9442210.stm