BIRDS HAVE COLORFUL FEATHERS, BUT WHY AND HOW?

Why Birdies have Colors?

When you go out of your room into a garden, you see lovely birds flying all around. Their chirping, singing, innocence, love, flying, and colors undoubtedly can melt anyone's heart. The terrific texture and motif on their bodies touch the sentiments and hearts of a common human being and mollifies a human nature.

But due to the, fortunate or maybe unfortunate, reason that you are reading an article on a website, which is researcher of science, wants you to wonder why these appeasing birds do have colorful decoration on their bodies? No really -

Why birds do have colorful decoration on their bodies, and why are their feathers blended with colors?

What Bird Evolution tells?

Is this a result of the evolution which began in the Jurassic Period - which is not a film but a period! It is true that the earliest birds evolved from the dinosaur class known as Paraves?

Paraves Phylogeny

One fact is commonly known that anatomy of these birds gives the absolute confirmation that evolution of the Paraves into the birds is factual. This evolution propound many things to us about their beak features, feathers, light bodies and their ability to fly. On the other hand, this evolution resulted in the birds having toothless beak, flexible bones, petite bodies and much more which, therefore, explains and validates the evolution in birds.

Well the most noticeable fact which normally you see in the species of birds, there is a distinguishable difference between a male bird and a female bird, despite their sexuality and sexual organs, that beauty of male birds is substantial as compared with female birds. Therefore, there must be a reason to be as it is!

Mating Preferences and Advantages

Love Birds!

It has a well established rationale behind this male bird motifs. It is shown in some studies in Ornithology* that female birds consider and judge the sexuality, vitality and health according to the brightness in color of male birds. Moreover, it is also mentioned in the study of Evolution that bright colors in male birds did not just got evolved unexpectedly but it evolved due to sexual selection. It is more of a scientific language but it is easy to understand the logic behind the nature. It is also being researched that male birds want to attract the birds of opposite sex through their bright hue colors; which, therefore, is now making a total sense and connection between the two researches and gives following reason to why birds have colorful feathers:

1) Female birds judge male birds through their colors;
2) Female birds need a partner for better mating success;
3) Females want better father for their young ones;
4) Male birds use their colors to attract female birds;
5) Better colors means better aggression in males which can potentially secure the family;
6) Aggressive males does not want any other bird to enter their territory;
7) Birds with better colors protect their families well.

However, the male birds which are more beautiful than other birds are prone to more danger from their predators. Their bright colors attract not only females but also the predators which can decrease the probability of his survival.

Different Colors, Different Facts

Modern studies on the color of birds shows that different colors on different birds can mean different things. This suggests the behavior, attitude, health, and vitality of different birds.

Different colors, different reasons with different effects. Colors shows their aggression, health, and their strong hold over its territory.

But the question remains, how do they get these colors? Well the simplest argument to answer this question is what you have read all that is written above, through evolution. But really how? Plants get a green color due to chlorophyll then colors on birds should make some sense.

Pigmentation causes Colorization

Different birds possess different pigments that absorbs different spectrum of light. These pigments also does not depend on what a feather looks like or whether a feather is a little odd than a normal one.

There are three pigments which causes this colorization: carotenoids, melanins, and porphyrines; (AllAboutBirds.org).

Carotenoids is found and produced by plants, therefore, the birds who eat those plants intake those pigments in their bodies which causes coloration in them due to light.

Nomenclature of Carotenoids

Have you heard of a statement which goes like:

You look like what you eat.

This can explain better what carotenoids does to birds' feather.

Color ranges: Yellow to Yellowish Orangey.

Melanins is found on the bodies and feathers of birds which absorbs certain spectrum of light. This pigment can be found from higher concentration to lower concentration on different parts of body which results in a body to contain different colors at the same time, like a peacock.

This pigment also defines the strength of a feather. Higher the Melanin, stronger the feather!

➛ Quick Fact: Melanin is also found on human hair which makes its color to range from black to brown.

Color ranges: Dark Black to Reddish Brown.

Porphyrins are made due to the modifying amino acids in bodies of birds.

Porphyrins Nomenclature

However, this does not mean that every bird who has this pigment will have the same colors. These amino acids have a set range of colors to absorb.

Color ranges: Pink, Brown, Red, and Green.

To Sum it Up

Birds have color due to pigments described as above, moreover, evolution in birds caused the color to change over the years. Female birds are more attracted to males due to facts described above. This is the whole actual reason to the colorful feathers in birds.

*Ornithology is a branch of zoology which studies about birds.

We hope you learnt something today. If you did please like, share and comment your thoughts on it.

Zain Ul Mustafa

Cakes, conspiracies, and computers are my daily pills.

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