Woodcocks are a whiter shade of pale

These waders sport the whitest feathers known to science - but they like to keep them under wraps

- By Stuart Blackman

New research shows that the woodcock is the unlikely owner of the brightest white feathers of any bird tested so far. Woodcocks are not known for their dazzling colours. The upper plumage of these nocturnal waders is a mosaic of browns and greys that camouflages them exquisitely against forest floors by day.

"That's the beauty of it," says Jamie Dunning, who led the work at Imperial College London. "They keep it where you can't see it, but where they can get it out when they need it."