Sparkling feather reflections of a bird-of-paradise explained by finite-difference time-domain modeling.

ABSTRACT: Birds-of-paradise are nature's prime examples of the evolution of color by sexual selection. Their brilliant, structurally colored feathers play a principal role in mating displays. The structural coloration of both the occipital and breast feathers of the bird-of-paradise Lawes' parotia is produced by melanin rodlets arranged in layers, together acting as interference reflectors. Light reflection by the silvery colored occipital feathers is unidirectional as in a classical multilayer, but the reflection by the richly colored breast feathers is three-directional and extraordinarily complex. Here we show that the reflection properties of both feather types can be quantitatively explained by finite-difference time-domain modeling using realistic feather anatomies and experimentally determine

SUBMITTER: Wilts BD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3970480 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature