Contrary to our human perception of bird coloration as extraordinarily diverse, a new study reports that bird plumages exhibit only a small fraction (less than a third) of the possible colours birds ...

Birds boast some of the most vibrant colors among terrestrial animals. Our pretty avian friends have inspired our Democrat and Chronicle photographers for years and captured the imaginations of many ...

Filoplumes may be tiny, but these hairlike feathers enable nonstop flights that span thousands of miles. Filoplumes may be tiny, but these hairlike feathers enable nonstop flights that span thousands ...

‘Blue-throated Toucanet,’ from John Gould’s 1833 ‘Monograph of the Ramphastidae,’ or ‘Family of Toucans.’ (Courtesy photo) The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s latest exhibit, Splendid ...

A Fork-tailed Flycatcher. Credit: Valentina Gómez-Bahamón, Field Museum Bird feathers have many different functions. Softer down keeps a bird warm and stiffer wing feathers are used for flight.

Researchers found that the iridescent shimmer that makes birds such as peacocks and hummingbirds so striking is rooted in an evolutionary tweak in feather nanostructure that has more than doubled the ...

At first glance, feathers may seem like simple parts of a bird’s body. But if you look closer—under a microscope or through a scientific lens—they reveal an intricate story of evolution, biology, and ...