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Cited by 63Comparative Animal Anatomy StudiesAvian ecology and behaviorVisual perception and processing mechanisms

The scaling of eye size in adult birds: Relationship to brain, head and body sizes

Open access
Burton, Richard F.·2008·Vision Research
DOI 10.1016/j.visres.2008.08.001
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Abstract

Birds' eyes seem often to be about as large as head size allows and brain size is taken here as a measure of the ill-defined space that is available to accommodate them. In four data sets for non-passerines eye size relates more strongly to brain size than to body mass and most non-passerine data are consistent with eye:brain (or eye:head-space) isometry. Eye:body allometry thus seems to follow from a negative head-space:body allometry. In passerines the eye:brain size correlations seem to be secondary to strong eye:body, brain:body, and perhaps therefore head-space:body correlations, a difference attributed to the passerines' greater anatomical uniformity.

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  • Our counterfactual approach uniquely quantifies the interdependence of processing capability and visual acuity, addressing longstanding observational hypotheses with computational evidence.

    “Our counterfactual approach uniquely quantifies the interdependence of processing capability and visual acuity, addressing longstanding observational hypotheses with computational evidence (53, 67).”

    From What if eye...? Computationally recreating vision evolution (2025) · cites this paper as [53]

    The Introduction says larger eyes favour visual acuity, and §4.1 discusses the hypothesis that birds with large eyes evolved larger brains to cope with visual input. These are related observational ideas, but the paper does not directly establish an interdependence between processing capability and visual acuity. The counterfactual approach and computational evidence are the citing authors’ own contribution, not a finding attributed to Burton. (LLM, conf=0.78)

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  • Natural studies document correlations between brain size and eye size across species, but are limited to observational analysis and can only hypothesize underlying causes without definitive testing.

    “Natural studies extensively document correlations between brain size and eye size across various species, yet they are limited to observational analysis and can only hypothesize underlying causes without definitive testing (53, 64–67).”

    From What if eye...? Computationally recreating vision evolution (2025) · cites this paper as [53]

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cites

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1 of the 31 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Duke-Elder, S. (1958). The eyes of birds. In System of Ophthalmology. Vol. 1. The Eye in Evolution (pp. 397-427). London: Henry Kimpton.
  2. Land, M. F., & Nilsson, D.-E. (2002). Animal eyes. New York: Oxford University Press.
  3. Zachen, F. (1998). Transversale Untersuchungen zum embryonalen Organ-und K} orpermassewachstum der Hausgans (Anser anser f. domestica). Doctoral Thesis, University of Leipzig.

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Authors
Burton, R. F.
Affiliations
University of Glasgow (GB)
Corresponding author
Burton, Richard F.
ORCID
Burton, Richard F.
Venue
Vision Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2008-10
Volume
48
Issue
22
Pages
2345-2351
ISSN
0042-6989 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.visres.2008.08.001
OpenAlex
W2012068671
Cited by
63
References
31
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 2
FWCI
1.60
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Vision Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Urology › Comparative Animal Anatomy Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Avian ecology and behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
Keywords
eye size, birds, allometry, brain size, head size, body mass, Passeriformes, non-passerines, isometries, avian vision
MeSH terms
Animals, Biometry, Birds, Brain, Eye, Head, Species Specificity, Body Size

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