It’s structure that creates this colour

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2C6.4771525 2 2 6.4771525 2 12s4.4771525 10 10 10 10-4.4771525 10-10S17.5228475 2 12 2z"> </path> </svg> </button> </form> </div> <div class="content"> <main class="main rows-gap margin-top-1 margin-bottom-1"> <nav aria-label="breadcrumbs" class="rank-math-breadcrumb"><p><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos</a><span class="separator"> » </span><a href="/nature/birds/">Birds</a></p></nav> <section class="article-container cols-4 md-cols-1 cols-gap-1 padding-bottom-4"> <article class="col col-span-3 post-34630 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-birds category-nature category-news tag-feathers tag-hummingbirds"> <header class="rows rows-gap"> <h1 class="entry-title row">It’s structure that creates this colour</h1> <div class="row primary-image has-featured-image " data-featured-image="201013-Feather.jpg"> <img width="850" height="637" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA4NTAgNjM3IiB3aWR0aD0iODUwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjYzNyIgZGF0YS11PSIlMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjAlMkYwMyUyRjIwMTAxMy1GZWF0aGVyLmpwZyIgZGF0YS13PSI4NTAiIGRhdGEtaD0iNjM3IiBkYXRhLWJpcD0iIj48L3N2Zz4=" data-spai="1" class="feature-image wp caption" alt="A close-up view of a feather from a Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)." decoding="async" loading="eager" fetchpriority="high" /><noscript data-spai="1"><img width="850" height="637" src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/201013-Feather.jpg" data-spai-egr="1" class="feature-image wp caption" alt="A close-up view of a feather from a Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)." decoding="async" loading="eager" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/201013-Feather.jpg 850w, https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/201013-Feather-600x450.jpg 600w, https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/201013-Feather-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/201013-Feather-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px" /></noscript> <div class="caption feature">A close-up view of a feather from a Ruby-throated Hummingbird (<i>Archilochus colubris</i>). Credit: Rafael Maia</div> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content cols-6 md-cols-1 cols-gap-1 margin-top-1"> <div class="content-left-sidebar cols-1 col"> <section class="contributors md-cols-1 rows-gap"> <div class="row post-date"> <span class="published-date">January 12, 2020</span> </div> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/cosmos-editors/" class="author row md-hide"> <img src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAxMDgwIDEwODAiIHdpZHRoPSIxMDgwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjEwODAiIGRhdGEtdT0iJTJGd3AtY29udGVudCUyRnVwbG9hZHMlMkYyMDIwJTJGMDIlMkZDb3Ntb3MtZnVsbHRleHQucG5nIiBkYXRhLXc9IjEwODAiIGRhdGEtaD0iMTA4MCIgZGF0YS1iaXA9IiI+PC9zdmc+" data-spai="1" alt="Cosmos Editorial" width="200" /><noscript data-spai="1"><img src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Cosmos-fulltext.png" data-spai-egr="1" alt="Cosmos Editorial" width="200" /></noscript> <div class="bio"> <h3>Cosmos Editorial</h3> </div> </a> <div id="author-name" class="hide"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/cosmos-editors/" class="bio"> By Cosmos Editorial </a> </div> <div class="favourite__wrapper row cols"> <button class="showDialog simplefavorite-button" aria-label="Favourite button"> </button> </div> </section> </div> <div class="primary-content cols-1 col-span-5 col"> <div class="flexible-content "> <div class="copy"> <p>Hummingbirds are among the brightest birds in the world, and now scientists know why.</p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">A new study in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15585646" target="_blank" rel="noopener">journal </a><i>Evolution </i>reveals that while their feathers have the same basic makeup as those of other birds, the shape of their pigment-containing structures enables them to reflect a rainbow of light.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">An international team led by Chad Eliason from the Field Museum, US, used transmission electron microscopes to examine the feathers of 35 species of hummingbirds and compare them with those of brightly-coloured birds, such as green-headed mallard ducks.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">They found that secret lies in the melanosomes – the pigment-producing organelles that are part of the cells that make up the barbules that project from the barbs of bird feathers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The shape and arrangement of melanosomes can influence the way light bounces off them, producing iridescent colours that the researchers call structural colours because they depend on structural dimensions. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hummingbird melanosomes are special, they discovered. They are flat and contain lots of tiny air bubbles, which creates a more complex set of surfaces. When light glints off those surfaces, it bounces off in a way that produces iridescence.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Eliason and colleagues also found that the traits that make hummingbird feathers different – the melanosome shape and the thickness of the feather lining – evolved separately, allowing hummingbirds to mix and match a wider variety of traits. </span><a href="https://link.cosmosmagazine.com/OP59" class="newsletter-cta" data-device="mobile"><br /> <img decoding="async" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAzMDAgMjUwIiB3aWR0aD0iMzAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjI1MCIgZGF0YS11PSIlMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjQlMkYwMyUyRldlZWtseS1DYXRjaHVwLTMwMHgyNTAtMS5wbmciIGRhdGEtdz0iMzAwIiBkYXRhLWg9IjI1MCIgZGF0YS1iaXA9IiI+PC9zdmc+" data-spai="1" alt="Newsletter" title="it’s structure that creates this colour 1"><noscript data-spai="1"><img decoding="async" 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It’s structure that creates this colour