Where do all the pretty feather colors come from?
There can be three types of pigments in a bird’s feathers; Carotenoids, Melanins, and Turacoverdins. Carotenoids (Carotenes and the Xanthophylls) are the yellow to red pigments that impart the bright yellows, oranges, and reds to the feathers. Melanin (Eumelanin Melanin and Phaeomelanin Melanin) are the pigments that impart the brown, black or gray shades of colors. Finally, the Turacoverdins are the pigments that produce various shades of green. But where does the blue color come from? The blue colors come from reflective interference. In combination with Melanin and Lutin, reflective interference also produces green and other shades. It is also what gives the feathers their iridescence. This coloration is produced by the same phenomenon that gives color to a film of oil on a water surface.
