Dawn Chorus: Blue Birds of Happiness

Mountain Bluebird of happiness

Blue. A favorite, maybe even mostly preferred color to the sky. When it comes to our birdy friends and the colors of their feathers, blue, in its various shades, is unique. The color does not arise from pigment but from light waves interacting with the feathers and the keratin molecules that comprise them. The different shades of blue come from light reflecting in different ways from different keratin structures in the feathers.

Let’s see some shades of blue.

Mainly pure blue.

Western Bluebird

Mountain Bluebird winter coloration with more gray

Mountain Bluebird in summer coloration

Pinyon Jay

California Scrub-jay

Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay

Steller’s Jay

Some combination of bluish-grayish.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, goes gray out of breeding colors

Great Blue Heron

Belted Kingfisher

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Pygmy Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

And finally blue with some iridescence.

Immature Black-billed Magpie. Iris coloration will turn to brown or black as the bird matures.

What blue colored birds have you seen? Looking forward to bluebirds or birds with blue from other parts of the planet.

THE DAWN CHORUS IS NOW OPEN FOR YOUR BIRDY REPORTS OF THE WEEK.