Article: THE BLUE JAY REALLY ISN'T BLUE AT ALL.(Stars)

Byline: Benjamin P. Burtt Contributing writer

The color of feathers is produced in two different ways. In some birds, the feathers contain pigments. In others, the color is produced by colorless cells whose surface reflects only one color.

Examples of feathers with pigments are worn by the cardinal, oriole and goldfinch. These red, orange and yellow pigments are produced in the birds body and deposited in the feather. They give it the characteristic color.

On the other hand, structural coloration is used by birds that are blue. There is no blue pigment in the feather. However, there is a brown pigment deep within the feather and a colorless ...

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