The colors of bird feathers and butterfly wings are primarily attributed to interference in microscopic structures rather than dyes, yet they exhibit minimal change in color with varying viewing angles. This phenomenon is not solely due to iridescence, as seen in some species like hummingbirds; both pigments and structural colors coexist in many birds, such as chickens and ducks. The discussion highlights the complexity of color generation, noting that different mechanisms, such as diffraction gratings and thin films, contribute to the observed color stability.
PREREQUISITESBiologists, ornithologists, entomologists, and materials scientists interested in the mechanisms of color production in nature and their implications for optical engineering.
I think this is far too simplistic. Chickens and ducks have both pigments and iridescence in their feathers. It isn’t an either-or phenomenon; both are present in the same animal and even on the same feather.Alfred Cann said:Summary:: Colors of bird feathers and butterfly wings
They are mostly attributed to interference in microscopic structures, not dyes, yet do not display the typical change of color with viewing angle of interference colors. Why?
This appears to be the core of the question.Alfred Cann said:[The colours] do not display the typical change of color with viewing angle of interference colors. Why?
Alfred Cann said:yet do not display the typical change of color with viewing angle of interference colors. Why?
Colors through interference don't have to be angle-insensitive. See post #5.Alfred Cann said:1. Most bird and butterfly colors appear quite angle-insensitive, not even Fabry-Perot. Is the literature wrong that I have read, that attributes these colors to interference?