Parrot feather color: SCIENCE! Psittacofulvins RULE!

[Kentuckienne]

Serendipity is my co-pilot, and today she found this! Scientific studies of what causes the colors of parrot feathers, particularly red, and why feathers can change color depending on how the structure of the feather interacts with the pigments. It gets nerdier the more you read, but here is a gem of a quote:

"Their characteristics have been studied in detail in the budgerigar (a parrot, like the Amazons). Hear that, Budgies? You are just as much parrot as the Amazons! Little bird, big heart! And now for the science.

Parrot Pigments Preserve Pretty Plumage | November 1, 2010 Issue - Vol. 88 Issue 44 | Chemical & Engineering News

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15253871

Spectral tuning of Amazon parrot feather coloration by psittacofulvin pigments and spongy structures | Journal of Experimental Biology

Enjoy!

 

[plumsmum2005]

Interesting read Kentuckienne.

Knew that feathers changed colour if 1) diet is wrong and/or 2) there is illness present, ie Fatty Liver Disease.