Black Birds with Blue Heads

Colorful birds metabolize carotenoids in plants and berries and that gives them vibrant feathers. Blue feathers? There is actually no such thing. Read on to find out why that is and explore our list of 15 black birds with blue heads found across the globe. How are Blue Feathers made? Carotenoids in plants and berries gives birds their vibrant feathers. Blue feathers are a little different. In fact, there is no such thing as blue feathers. There are a couple of theories as to how they are created but is seems to be because oflight scattering. Microscopic pockets containing the protein keratin sit inbetween the feathers. The wavelength of the blue part of light is similar to the structure of these pockets and so, it doesn’t pass through but is reflected straight to us. This is why these birds only look blue or iridescent some of the time. Black Birds with Blue Heads As we come to our choice of black colored birds with blue heads, it should be noted that there are actually very few birds that fall strictly within that category. It maybe something to do with light scattering, we are not really sure. Included on our list are birds that are partly black, partly blue and sometimes other colors. Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) Found across continental North America from the middle of Canada to Florida and northern Mexico. This stocky New World Blackbird is a fascinating and beautiful bird, often overlooked because of its common occurrence. The female is more uniformly brown but the male has a glossy, iridescent sheen. The body looks black or bronze depending on the light and the head is blue-ish. Purple Sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) This bird is found across South East Asia, ranging from the UAE in the west to Vietnam in

Colorful birds metabolize carotenoids in plants and berries and that gives them vibrant feathers.