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nature & planetPhys.org

A hummingbird's brilliant magenta feathers depend on a hidden middle layer

from Phys.org

The brilliant magenta feathers on the head and throat of a male Anna's hummingbird present an optical puzzle. Magenta cannot be produced by a single wavelength of light. Instead, the feathers reflect a mixture of red and blue. Scientists understood the strong red reflection, but the weaker blue component was harder to explain.

explained

Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) is a North American species of hummingbird named after Anna Masséna, Duchess of Rivoli.

It is native to western coastal regions of North America. Until the late 20th century, Anna's hummingbirds migrated from locations as far north as Alaska and coastal British Columbia, returning south to breed in Baja California and Southern California.

Since the 1970s, ornamental plants in residential areas along the Pacific coast and inland deserts provided expanded nectar and nesting sites, allowing the species to expand its breeding range to northern coastal regions without migrating. Year-round residence of Anna's hummingbirds in the Pacific Northwest is an example of ecological release dependent on acclimation to colder winter temperatures, introduced plants, and human provision of nectar feeders during winter.

These birds feed on nectar from flowers using a long extendable tongue. They also consume small insects and other arthropods caught in flight or gleaned from vegetation.

From Wikipedia: Anna's hummingbird (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗
so what

It reveals how many bird colours come from structure rather than pigment, which is why they can look so intense. The work also informs the design of structural colour in materials and displays.

fun fact

Anna's hummingbird is found mainly along the Pacific coast of North America.

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