Sunday, June 23, 2013

Iridescent Anna's Hummingbird

Below is the same Anna's Hummingbird in four pictures.  I think it is fascinating how the iridescent feathers light.  This explanation is from Cornell Lab of Ornithology;
The iridescent colors of the gorget (throat feathers)  are the result of the refraction of incident light caused by the microscopic structure of the feathers. The refraction works like a prism, splitting the light into rich, component colors. At certain angles little or no light is reflected back to the viewer and the gorget can appear black. As the viewing angle changes, the refracted light becomes visible in a glowing, shimmering iridescent display.

Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird

2 comments:

  1. Super fascinating explanation of the iridescence on the hummingbird. And beautiful pictures!

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  2. Thanks, It's amazing to watch the bright color come and go.

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