Figure 1

The making of a HTML coded colour chart for estimation of animal colour in the field. First the colours relevant for the study are estimated from samples from the species of interest (in this case the New Zealand robin (Petroica longipes)) (a). From the sample, a set of colours is coded using HTML coding (b), which has a specific code for every colour. In this case the software Dreamweaver™ was used to create nine different shades ranging from light grey (888888) to black (000000) (c). When the chart is made it is printed out and can be enclosed within a plastic covering for protection. This procedure worked well for colour estimation of the species in focus, with individuals' colours being easy to index under field conditions (d).