{"id":1489,"date":"2025-06-10T09:01:46","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T08:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web33.secure-secure.co.uk\/marklucock.com\/blog\/?page_id=1489"},"modified":"2025-06-11T05:10:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T04:10:25","slug":"an-essay-on-bird-colour-for-photographers-from-black-to-red-yellow-and-blue-explaining-the-biology-and-photographic-potential-behind-the-magnificent-colours-of-australias-bird-f","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web33.secure-secure.co.uk\/marklucock.com\/blog\/an-essay-on-bird-colour-for-photographers-from-black-to-red-yellow-and-blue-explaining-the-biology-and-photographic-potential-behind-the-magnificent-colours-of-australias-bird-f\/","title":{"rendered":"An Essay on Bird Colour for Photographers: From Black to Red, Yellow and Blue \u2013 Explaining the Biology (and Photographic Potential) Behind the Magnificent Colours of Australia\u2019s Bird Fauna"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I\u2019ve worked as a vitamin biologist for more years than I care to remember, examining how diet, environment and genes influence human health, including how key vitamins might have acted as a selection pressure for the evolution of human skin pigmentation (colour) types during early ancestral migrations out of Africa and across the World [1<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Adelaide rosella photographed at Nangawooka Flora Reserve. Few birds are quite as red as this gentle species. Red dominates, but blue and orange are plentiful.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Given that my lifelong interest in biology was kindled by a childhood obsession for ornithology, consolidated by a subsequent passion for natural history photography, it seems reasonable to come full circle in retirement, and examine how similar genetic and dietary factors can influence bird biology, and more specifically, bird colouration, using some of my accumulated avian images to illustrate the unfolding of what is a fascinating story of discovery and understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Golden whistlers are common in my garden, although finding a suitably yellow attired male is more challenging than finding the drabber female and immature form.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If I were forced to leave Australia tomorrow, the one thing I would miss above all else is the country\u2019s magnificent array of glitzy and intelligent birds. No other country that I\u2019ve visited has such an extravagantly vibrant, diverse and interesting avifauna. In this article I\u2019m going to explore the biology of bird colour, particularly red, yellow and blue, coincidentally, our three primary colours, which are always memorably striking when part of a bird\u2019s livery, especially when set against black.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A striking juxtaposition – light blue iris against ink black plumage. The Australian raven is common and quite easy to shoot. This was taken with a 100-400mm lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The colour of our avifauna is a result of an interaction between two biological colour systems \u2013 one is structural, and one is biochemical based on pigments. Structural colouration stems from scattering of reflected light, while biochemical colour originates from dietary and endogenously synthesised pigments. This article examines the mesmerising beauty of bird colour. It includes a section on tips and thoughts related to photographing birds and bringing out the best artistic rendering of plumage colour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some simple genetics applied to the colour black<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Genes are made up of DNA (a string of base pairs) and direct our cells to make proteins (for example enzymes). Birds are amniotes (egg layers) and typically have a relatively small number of genes (genome) compared to other reptilian and mammalian amniotes. The length of the genome varies from 0.91 giga base pairs (hummingbird) to 1.3 gb pairs (ostrich). Of course, genes are what determines colour variation in plumage, on bare skin, in beaks, feet and even eggs. If we look at some of the colour genes, it\u2019s fascinating to see how predictable evolution can be. By carefully characterising bird colour phenotype (observable traits of an individual due to the interaction of genetics and environment), it is possible to see that independent changes in similar genetic machinery can lead to phenotypic similarity between hugely different species. For example, loss of the black skin pigment melanin (formed during melanogenesis) is linked to the KITLG<\/em> gene in humans, but also in the totally unrelated stickleback fish [2<\/a>]. Basically, evolution has made repeated use of the same genes to produce light pigmentation in animals that are as divergent as sticklebacks and humans. Of course, birds make good use of melanin for dark colouration, as does the cuttlefish, which uses melanin to produce its black ink. Like KITLG<\/em>, the OCA2<\/em> gene, which is also linked to melanin, and provides colour to the skin, hair, and retina in the eyes, plays a similar role in snakes, cave fish and humans. Another key gene that many people will have heard of, and which is found in both humans and birds is the red hair gene (MC1R<\/em>). MC1R<\/em> regulates the type of melanin being produced, and when activated it instructs the melanocyte to switch from generating yellow or red phaeomelanin pigment to brown or black eumelanin pigment instead. Studies in birds, especially pigeons, have shown that variation in the MC1R <\/em>gene controls plumage colour [3<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This cute little grey fantail is a mix of grey and black – colours derived from melanin. Shot at 500mm and f\/5.6<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In fact, a recent article shows that melanin contributes to colour complexity in 9000 bird species and hence reflects what should be considered as a general conclusion for all birds [4<\/a>]. As far as pigment is concerned, plumage colour stems from two classes of biochrome \u2013 dark melanins and yellow carotenoids. These two differ, since melanins can be synthesised by the birds in specialised structures called melanocytes, while carotenoids cannot, and must be consumed from dietary sources. In a sense, the carotenoids are therefore analogous to vitamins in humans. In fact, beta-carotene (\u03b2-carotene) is used by humans as a dietary precursor for vitamin A as well as being a valuable antioxidant to us (and to birds) [5<\/a>]. As we\u2019ll see, carotenoids also have bearing on bird health\/individual quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This Australian magpie was in my front garden looking for juicy grubs. You can see his beak is testimony to this. Again, a bird whose plumage is highly melanised. A black, white and brownish red (eye) bird.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been suggested, that overall, 32% of birds have a complex plumage pattern, which in most cases relates to melanin production, rather than carotenoid intake [4<\/a>]. Actually, a really good analogy has been given; carotenoids provide a broad brush to produce colour splodges, while melanin acts via a detail brush to yield more intricate designs. Having touched on melanin, the first primary colour I want to examine is red, a colour that arises through a newly discovered gene, and one that can add real spectacle to a bird\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following slideshow depicts a few birds that are highly melanised, yet also have other subtle signals such as striking eyes or contrasting patterns<\/p>\n\n\n\n