warning coloration
noun
: 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
Marcia DavisExamples of warning coloration in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That’s when the first hint of warning coloration appears in the fossil record, in a cockroach fossilized in amber (the specific color is not entirely clear, Wiens said).
—Molly Herring, Quanta Magazine, 27 June 2025
Zoologists say the warning coloration helps the small mammal deter predators.
—Natasha Daly, National Geographic, 12 Jan. 2023
The striking bright blues, yellows, and oranges of poison dart frogs are a classic example of warning coloration, sending a message to predators to stay away.
—Michael Allen, Science | AAAS, 13 June 2018
Why don't other animals copy this warning coloration?
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 23 June 2011
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Molly Herring, Quanta Magazine, 27 June 2025
Zoologists say the warning coloration helps the small mammal deter predators.
—Natasha Daly, National Geographic, 12 Jan. 2023
The striking bright blues, yellows, and oranges of poison dart frogs are a classic example of warning coloration, sending a message to predators to stay away.
—Michael Allen, Science | AAAS, 13 June 2018
Why don't other animals copy this warning coloration?
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 23 June 2011
Cite this Entry
“Warning coloration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/warning%20coloration. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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