Iridescent colouration of male Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) caused by multilayered barbules

Marco A. Giraldo; Juan L. Parra; Doekele G. Stavenga

doi:10.1007/s00359-018-1295-8

Iridescent colouration of male Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) caused by multilayered barbules

Marco A. Giraldo, Juan L. Parra, Doekele G. Stavenga^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)

374 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The male Anna's hummingbird features a brightly reddish-pink reflecting gorget, due to large stacks of melanosomes in the feather barbules, arranged in layers separated by keratin. Direct observations together with detailed scatterometry demonstrated that the barbules reflect incident light in an approximately specular manner. The structural colouration is iridescent, i.e. varies with a changing angle of light incidence. Spectrophotometrical measurements of the barbule reflectance and absorbance can be well interpreted with calculated spectra obtained with a transfer matrix method for optical multilayers, using anatomical data and measured refractive index spectra. The organization of the reflectors as a Venetian blind presumably functions to create a high spectral contrast of the male's plumage during courtship.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	965-975
Number of pages	11
Journal	Journal of comparative physiology a-Neuroethology sensory neural and behavioral physiology
Volume	204
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-018-1295-8
Publication status	Published - Dec-2018

Keywords

Feather iridescence
Courtship
Spectrophotometry
Scatterometry
Optical modelling
BUTTERFLY WING SCALES
SPECTRAL SENSITIVITIES
IMAGING SCATTEROMETRY
BIRD
EVOLUTION
PHOTORECEPTORS
COLORFUL
FEATHERS
PLUMAGE

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Iridescent colouration of male Anna’s hummingbird ( Calypte anna ) caused by multilayered barbulesFinal publisher's version, 8.16 MBLicence: CC BY

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@article{c14ca56fc3924cdbba0ed425cdb01630,

title = "Iridescent colouration of male Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) caused by multilayered barbules",

abstract = "The male Anna's hummingbird features a brightly reddish-pink reflecting gorget, due to large stacks of melanosomes in the feather barbules, arranged in layers separated by keratin. Direct observations together with detailed scatterometry demonstrated that the barbules reflect incident light in an approximately specular manner. The structural colouration is iridescent, i.e. varies with a changing angle of light incidence. Spectrophotometrical measurements of the barbule reflectance and absorbance can be well interpreted with calculated spectra obtained with a transfer matrix method for optical multilayers, using anatomical data and measured refractive index spectra. The organization of the reflectors as a Venetian blind presumably functions to create a high spectral contrast of the male's plumage during courtship.",

keywords = "Feather iridescence, Courtship, Spectrophotometry, Scatterometry, Optical modelling, BUTTERFLY WING SCALES, SPECTRAL SENSITIVITIES, IMAGING SCATTEROMETRY, BIRD, EVOLUTION, PHOTORECEPTORS, COLORFUL, FEATHERS, PLUMAGE",

author = "Giraldo, {Marco A.} and Parra, {Juan L.} and Stavenga, {Doekele G.}",

year = "2018",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1007/s00359-018-1295-8",

language = "English",

volume = "204",

pages = "965--975",

journal = "Journal of comparative physiology a-Neuroethology sensory neural and behavioral physiology",

issn = "0340-7594",

publisher = "SPRINGER HEIDELBERG",

number = "12",

}

Iridescent colouration of male Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) caused by multilayered barbules. / Giraldo, Marco A.; Parra, Juan L.; Stavenga, Doekele G.
In: Journal of comparative physiology a-Neuroethology sensory neural and behavioral physiology, Vol. 204, No. 12, 12.2018, p. 965-975.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Iridescent colouration of male Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) caused by multilayered barbules

AU - Giraldo, Marco A.

AU - Parra, Juan L.

AU - Stavenga, Doekele G.

PY - 2018/12

Y1 - 2018/12

N2 - The male Anna's hummingbird features a brightly reddish-pink reflecting gorget, due to large stacks of melanosomes in the feather barbules, arranged in layers separated by keratin. Direct observations together with detailed scatterometry demonstrated that the barbules reflect incident light in an approximately specular manner. The structural colouration is iridescent, i.e. varies with a changing angle of light incidence. Spectrophotometrical measurements of the barbule reflectance and absorbance can be well interpreted with calculated spectra obtained with a transfer matrix method for optical multilayers, using anatomical data and measured refractive index spectra. The organization of the reflectors as a Venetian blind presumably functions to create a high spectral contrast of the male's plumage during courtship.

AB - The male Anna's hummingbird features a brightly reddish-pink reflecting gorget, due to large stacks of melanosomes in the feather barbules, arranged in layers separated by keratin. Direct observations together with detailed scatterometry demonstrated that the barbules reflect incident light in an approximately specular manner. The structural colouration is iridescent, i.e. varies with a changing angle of light incidence. Spectrophotometrical measurements of the barbule reflectance and absorbance can be well interpreted with calculated spectra obtained with a transfer matrix method for optical multilayers, using anatomical data and measured refractive index spectra. The organization of the reflectors as a Venetian blind presumably functions to create a high spectral contrast of the male's plumage during courtship.

KW - Feather iridescence

KW - Courtship

KW - Spectrophotometry

KW - Scatterometry

KW - Optical modelling

KW - BUTTERFLY WING SCALES

KW - SPECTRAL SENSITIVITIES

KW - IMAGING SCATTEROMETRY

KW - BIRD

KW - EVOLUTION

KW - PHOTORECEPTORS

KW - COLORFUL

KW - FEATHERS

KW - PLUMAGE

U2 - 10.1007/s00359-018-1295-8

DO - 10.1007/s00359-018-1295-8

M3 - Article

SN - 0340-7594

VL - 204

SP - 965

EP - 975

JO - Journal of comparative physiology a-Neuroethology sensory neural and behavioral physiology

JF - Journal of comparative physiology a-Neuroethology sensory neural and behavioral physiology

IS - 12

ER -

Iridescent colouration of male Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) caused by multilayered barbules

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