AI Article Synopsis
- Iridescent colors in birds are largely studied in plumage but less so in other body parts, like the bill, until now.
- Researchers found that a layer of keratin and lipids creates the iridescent color in a bird's bill, supporting the idea that this feature developed through sexual selection.
- This is the first discovery of an iridescent bill and shows that birds might use various physical processes for color beyond just melanosomes, prompting further study on nonplumage colors in birds.
Article Abstract
Colors are well studied in bird plumage but not in other integumentary structures. In particular, iridescent colors from structures other than plumage are undescribed in birds. Here, we show that a multilayer of keratin and lipids is sufficient to produce the iridescent bill of . Furthermore, that the male bill is presented to the female under different angles during display provides support for the hypothesis that iridescence evolved in response to sexual selection. This is the first report of an iridescent bill, and only the second instance of iridescence in birds in which melanosomes are not involved. Furthermore, an investigation of museum specimens of an additional 98 species, showed that this evolved once, possibly twice. These results are promising, as they suggest that birds utilize a wider array of physical phenomena to produce coloration and should further stimulate research on nonplumage integumentary colors.
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11026107 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae138 | DOI Listing |
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Article Synopsis
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- Researchers found that a layer of keratin and lipids creates the iridescent color in a bird's bill, supporting the idea that this feature developed through sexual selection.
- This is the first discovery of an iridescent bill and shows that birds might use various physical processes for color beyond just melanosomes, prompting further study on nonplumage colors in birds.
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