Hummingbird Color

Hummingbird Color
No other bird possesses such a wide spectrum of breathtaking colors as the hummingbird. This is due to the structure of the feathers. While most birds can attribute their color to pigmentation, the hummingbird's shimmering color is structural rather than pigmented in origin. The iridescent colors of the feathers arise from layers of special cells within the top layers of the feathers. Light that hits these cells is broken apart; some wavelengths are reinforced and intensified, while others are nullified through interference. The resulting colors are amazingly vivid, but, unlike pigmented colors, can be seen only when the light is hitting the feathers at precisely the right angle. Thus, a hummingbird can shift its position just a little, and what was once black will become blazing red.