Definition of warning coloration
: conspicuous markings or bright colors possessed by an animal that serve as a warning to potential predators that it is toxic or distasteful
The vivid orange, red, black and white color patterns on the wings are a monarch's advertisement to potential predators. This warning coloration enables a bird such as a blue jay, which might eat one poisonous monarch and become ill, to recognize and avoid the butterfly by sight alone in the future.— Marcia Davis
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“Warning coloration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/warning%20coloration. Accessed 27 Jan. 2022.
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The first known use of warning coloration was in 1928
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