Above : White-tailed deer . Below : Northern cardinal . Above : Bluebird . Below : Yellow-rumped warbler .
Photo by Linda Albus
Photo by Jack Kotz
Photo by John Chapel
Photo by Jack Kotz
Unlike the anole , most Kiawah critters that change their color do so slowly , as a seasonal wardrobe change . Take the deer with whom we share our yards ( and sometimes our streets ). In the spring and summer , they sport a lightweight reddish-brown coat , and their fawns are attired in the same shade with white spots . In the winter , they all wear a thicker gray coat . Their two-layered winter garb has longer , stiff hairs in the outer layer and soft , dense hairs in the inner that provide insulation from the cold . But in summer or winter , they retain their distinctive white tails !
Like deer , many birds , particularly the males , don more muted shades in the fall and winter . These avians reserve their brightest feathers for mating season when they hope to win a female ’ s heart with their good looks . When fall comes , they molt , replacing their colorful apparel with the duller colors of winter that better camouflage them from predators . Some , like Kiawah ’ s yellow-colored birds , the yellow-rumped warbler , and the American goldfinch , make this transition by molting and growing new feathers twice a year .
The bluebird takes a different tack . It achieves its quieter winter look by molting in the fall and acquiring new
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feathers with brownish-orange tips that give it a less colorful appearance . By spring , this part of the new feathers wears off , leaving the male with a spiffier blue look just in time to impress a prospective mate . Luckily , female bluebirds must see their potential partners much as we humans do . According to ornithologists , bluebird feathers ( and those of all other birds that appear blue ) have no blue pigment and are actually brown . Their apparent blue coloring is a type of optical illusion resulting from a phenomenon known as light scattering . Small pockets of air and the protein keratin ( the same substance that makes up our hair and nails ) lie throughout their feathers . These absorb all the colors of light except blue . Since only the blue is refracted , that is the color we — and the females they want to woo — see .
The cardinal follows a similar process in acquiring its seasonal finery . It molts in late summer or early fall , growing in gray-tipped feathers . These tips wear off while cold weather still reigns , allowing the cardinal to show off a newlyrefurbished , bright-red look that makes it a standout among winter birds ! NK
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