Photo by Robert Hill
Photo by Jack Kotz
Above : Painted bunting , male . Below : Northern cardinal . Above : Wood duck . Below : Hummingbird .
Photo by Pamela Cohen
Photo by Shauneen Hutchinson
Birds come in various colors and patterns , from the subdued browns worn by many species of North American sparrows to the brightly colored suits of Amazonian parrots . Each design and color has an evolutionary purpose that gives each species or individual a competitive advantage in its environment . Whether it is for attracting a mate , defending a territory , or simply blending in with its surroundings , there is still much to be learned by understanding why birds are colored the way they are .
How Do Birds Get Their Colors ? Have you ever wondered how Northern cardinals get their red feathers ? Or why the throat of a male ruby-throated hummingbird looks red sometimes but black at others ? Bird coloration is not a simple process but rather a complicated recipe made up of very specific ingredients . There are two main components involved : pigments and the structural properties of a feather . The way these two ingredients are executed results in the colors that we see .
WINTER / SPRING 2021 • VOLUME 43
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