If you’ve ever strutted out of a store feeling fabulous, only to find that a bird has blessed your car with a “custom paint job,” trust us, you’re in good company. And now, thanks to a quirky new study from Alan’s Factory Outlet, we finally have some insight into why certain cars in New Jersey seem to attract more feathery firepower than others.
It turns out your car’s color might be sending an unintentional invitation to the sky’s messiest artists.
While we humans see a pretty simple rainbow, birds are out here viewing the world in high-def UV vision. Yup, they can see ultraviolet light, giving them a much richer and more intense perception of color, according to the study and readersdigest.
What looks like a basic paint shade to us can appear wildly different (and more attention-grabbing) to them.
That means some car colors practically glow in a bird’s world.
Believe it or not, the color that tops the list, the one birds seem to target most, is brown. Yes, brown. The least flashy color somehow grabs the most avian attention. Coincidence? Comedy? Cosmic joke? We’ll let you decide.
But birds don't stop there. According to the study, here’s the full lineup of car colors most likely to get splattered:
Brown
Red
Black
Yellow/Orange
Blue
So if you’re rolling around in a red or black ride and wondering why the pigeons treat it like a restroom stop, the answer might be as simple as: birds think your car stands out, in a way you never intended.
Researchers think brown may mimic natural surfaces birds feel comfortable “marking”—like tree bark or dirt patches. Or maybe birds are just messing with us. Either way, that shade’s a bullseye.
While you can’t negotiate with the local seagulls, you can feel a little better knowing there’s some science behind their questionable aim.
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And if you’re car-shopping soon? Maybe take this list into consideration, unless you enjoy bonding with the car wash crew.
Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz
Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz
