#birdograph

THE SECRETARYBIRD

Stellar’s Blue Jay

In Yosemite, the Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri ) is a common bird and the most beautiful of them.

One curious fact about these birds is that its brilliant blue feathers have no blue pigment in them.

Birds with yellow or red feathers usually get their color from pigments in the foods they eat, but the digestive process destroys blue pigments. So how do feathers on Steller’s jays get their blue color?

Feathers are made of keratin, the same stuff your fingernails are made of. As sunlight strikes one of these feathers, the keratin pattern causes red and yellow wavelengths to cancel each other out. The blue wavelengths reflect back, giving the feather its color. Different shapes and sizes of air pockets and keratin make different shades of blue. This is what scientists call a structural color (as opposed to pigmented color.

Next time you see a Steller’s jay or a bluebird consider the amazing way nature has colored its feathers. (Source: National Park Service: nps.gov)

The Golden-fronted Leafbird

This golden-fronted leafbird (Chloropsis aurifrons) flew in from nowhere into a crevasse in an old tree trunk on the hillside. This is an adult bird and, as you can see, it is notable for its leafy green-body with a black face and throat. It's called golden-fronted as it has an orange forehead. It also has blue moustachial line, and fluorescent blue flight feathers on the shoulders.

The Hoopoe as a Symbol

Known as 'Hud hud' in India, the hoopoe was behind the name of the deadly cyclone that hit the East Coast of India near Visakhapatnam in October 2014.

Hoopoes were seen as a symbol of virtue in Persia. They were thought of as thieves across much of Europe, and harbingers of war in Scandinavia. In Estonian tradition, hoopoes are strongly connected with death and the underworld.

The hoopoe is the king of the birds in the Ancient Greek comedy 'The Birds' by Aristophanes and also occurs in Ovid's Metamorphoses. The bird's crest indicates his royal status, and his long, sharp beak is a symbol of his violent nature. 

The hoopoe was chosen as the national bird of Israel. It appears on the Logo of the University of Johannesburg and the municipality of Armstedt, Germany, has a hoopoe in its coat of arms.

The Brahminy Kite

The brahminy kite (Haliastur indus) also known as the red-backed sea-eagle in Australia, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family of diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. 

They are found in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Australia mainly on the coast and in inland wetlands. Adults have a reddish brown plumage and a contrasting white head and breast which makes them easy to distinguish from other birds of prey.

Known as Elang Bondol in Indonesia, the brahminy kite is the official mascot of Jakarta. In India it is considered as the contemporary representation of Garuda, the sacred bird of Vishnu. In Malaysia, the island of Langkawi is named after the bird ('kawi' denoting an ochre-like stone used to decorate pottery, and a reference to the bird's primary plumage colour).

Black-hooded Oriole

The Yellow-footed Green Pigeon