A mild form of camouflage? Atractive to the opposite sex?
Have you ever seen a photo of a herd of Zebra? It is difficult to pick out an individual. It helps survival. Cat predators have little stamina. If they do not pick a victim & pounce successfully from a close distance, they do not get the prey. A bit of indecision can result in the Zebra herd escaping.
BTW: Due to lack of stamina tigers try to approach from the rear, allowing them to pounce before being seen by the prey. Farm workers in Nepal cut down on lethal tiger attacks by wearing masks on the back of their heads. Tigers delayed attack due to problems deciding the direction of approach & sometimes gave up or were noticed by potential prey before they attacked.
Colorful bird plummage is generally believed to be related to attacting a mate.
