Brilliant ‘SuperRed’ Feathers Are Created By More Than Just Pigments

Feather microstructures can remarkably change the appearance of red plumage without any corresponding changes in either pigment concentration or molecule types

by GrrlScientist for Forbes | Twitter | Newsletter

NOTE: This piece was a Forbes Editor’s pick.

Adult male Brazilian tanager (Ramphocelus bresilius) is a member of a sexually dimorphic genus of tanagers that have enlarged shiny whitish or bluish-grey lower mandibles, which are pointed upwards in courtship. (Credit: Dario Sanches / CC BY-SA 2.0)