~ baby hummingbirds - day 18 ~

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Today is day 18 for the baby ruby throats!

My dad has taken a lot more wonderful pictures of these little soon-to-be-flying gems,

so please enjoy his photography!

See that little hint of green on the tips of the feathers?

It seem the first hints of iridescence are appearing.

In the bird world, feather color arises in two ways.

First is pigment, and you see this in the reds of cardinals, browns of thrashers, and yellows of goldfinches.

Blues and iridescent colors are not pigments.

Instead, they are a special optical phenomenon, 

caused by the light hitting specially layered structures in the feathers.

The light is reflected in such a way that the color is only visible at certain angles.

(I'm biting my tongue to give a more scientific explanation!)

So when you see a lovely iridescent green hummingbird, or a regal bluebird,

you are only seeing the color because of their magic trick.

If the hummingbird darts in a different direction,

you may not be able to see the iridescence, and instead the bird will appear grayish.

These little babies are probably going to be leaving the nest in the next day or so!  

They look like they're ready to fly and learn about the big wide world around them.

~carrie~