This demure bird has the brightest feathers ever measured

In the clear light of day, the Eurasian woodcock doesn’t stand out. Reddish brown feathers help the bird blend in with forest underbrush to avoid predators. But at dawn and dusk, when males of the species swoop and dart in the pale luminance to attract a mate, they really shine. Now, researchers say their stark white tail feathers are the brightest plumage ever measured on a bird. The backends of the small birds ( Scolopax rusticola ) sport highly reflective white tips that are only visible from beneath during flight (pictured above) or when males fan their tail feathers on the ground as part of mating displays. When researchers used a spectrometer to measure how much light these feathers reflected, they found the white tips reflect up to 55% of light —far more than any other feathers ever recorded , the scientists report in a preprint posted on bioRxiv on 11 December. Next, the researchers built a computer model of the feathers’ microscopic structure to account for how photons bounce off the fibrous protein known as keratin that forms the bulk of the plumage. They concluded the woodcock gets its brilliance from the microscopic structure of tiny barbs arranged in parallel like window blinds, increasing the feathers’ reflective surface area. Exactly how the birds’ flashy tails help them catch the eye of potential mates will require more study, the researchers note.
Source: ScienceNOW - Category: Science Source Type: news