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Vivid colors are generally not considered a good evolutionary trait. It can distinguish prey from predators and prevent predators from effectively pursuing their prey. However, various bird species continue to sport beautiful and colorful feathers. There are many reasons for this, from mating to identifying members of the same species and distracting predators. Here are seven bird species with the most striking, beautiful, and bizarre feathers that are considered some of the most striking birds in the world.
# 7: Mandarin Duck: Culturally Colorful Waterfowl
While it might seem like the mandarin duck is on the menu of a Chinese restaurant, it is too overwhelming to be described like that. It combines vibrant shades of blue, gold, magenta, green and white – and it succeeds while maintaining a beautiful appearance. But you must visit these ducks at the right time to witness this brightness. Males raise these colorful feathers during mating season to attract mates, and in the off-season they return to the same brown and gray plumage as females.
Mating season is very important for these ducks and the males show off their colorful plumage in an intricate mating dance. Usually silent, these birds use a hissing sound during mating rituals. But once they have found a mate, the mandarin ducks mate for life. This brought them recognition as a symbol of love throughout Japan, China and Korea. Unfortunately, males abandon their young after hatching and do not return until it is time to mate again.
# 6: Peacock: Walking Kaleidoscope of Flowers
While many birds exhibit beautiful color combinations designed to distract or draw attention, few have adorable glowing feathers, such as those of various peacock species. Traditional pigments and unique feather patterns, made up mostly of shades of green, brown, yellow and blue, are stunning on their own. But these birds have a trump card up their sleeve with the presence of photonic crystals. They reflect the light falling on them, which means that you will see different shades depending on the angle from which you look at the bird. These traits were formed solely as a result of sexual selection, and not as a means of survival, and the massive tail of the male plays an important role in the bird’s complex mating ritual.
While peacock is colloquially applied to both males and females of this species, males are technically called peacocks and females are nicknamed peacocks. Brightly colored tails are visible only in males of this species, and the peacock’s plumage consists of more muted shades of green and brown. This also serves a purpose, offering them camouflage for a month’s period that they need to spend incubating their eggs.
# 5: Flamingos: Reflecting Their Appetite
Flamingos are the living embodiment of the phrase “You are what you eat.” Flamingo chicks are born with white or gray plumage, but they develop bright pink feathers as a result of what they eat – seaweed and salted shrimp. Their color is the same pigments that cause shrimp to turn pink when cooked, and they usually turn pink in the first two years of their life. Depending on the availability of food, the brightness of their plumage can vary depending on the habitat. A harsh black flame has even been seen in Cyprus, although it is believed to be the result of a certain condition.
To some extent, this pink coloration is a privilege granted to flamingos in an environment with few predators. Because while it makes them stick out in front of predators like a sore thumb, few predators are willing to enter the same waters as flamingos. For example, smaller flamingos fish primarily in Lake Natron in Tanzania, a body of water known for its dramatic pH levels. They have developed thicker skin and special legs to survive in this habitat.
# 4: toucan: the bill is as useful as it is colorful
The black body of the toucan contrasts with the orange or yellow chest and orange feathers around the eyes, but it is the toucan’s beak that makes it stand out. These huge beaks come in a wide variety of vibrant color combinations – and although both males and females of this species have colorful patterns, they are often used by males as a means of attracting mates during the mating season. And while this huge and colorful beak doesn’t seem to serve many of the purposes of a defense mechanism, it may have emerged as a deterrent to predators with its fearsome size and vibrant colors.
While the origin of the toucan’s unique coloration may be controversial, the appearance of its beaks serves an important purpose in the tropical rainforests of South America, which the toucan calls home. These large, sharp-edged beaks can be used to cut fruit, trim leaves from trees, and incapacitate prey such as small birds, lizards, and rodents. But the researchers also developed a new theory about the toucan’s beak – that it helps to remove heat from the bird’s body and keep it cool in the tropical conditions of their habitat.
# 3: Crimson Rosella: A Parrot Like No Other
There is no shortage of beautiful and flamboyant parrots in the world, but the Crimson Rosella easily ranks among the finest of the brightest birds in the world. Unlike most colorful bird species, both males and females share the same color schemes – a bright red body accentuated by a combination of black and blue markings most prominently centered around the bird’s throat and wings. These birds mate monogamously, and both play a role in raising chicks and eggs, with the mother playing the role of the nest nurse and the male staunchly protecting the tree. Unfortunately, females of this species are also known for destroying each other’s shells. While not entirely clear, this behavior is believed to be associated with fierce competition for territory.
But surviving chicks are usually slightly different from their parents. They have the same bright cheeks as their parents, but they start out life with olive plumage – presumably to make them less dangerous to predators while they are most vulnerable. Distributed throughout Australia, these birds have become popular pets. This is just one of eight different types of rosella, and many of them have the same stunning plumage, albeit in different patterns and color combinations.
# 2: Spangled Cotinga: dyed for camouflage and mating
Primary colors like blue and red are common among birds like parrots, but being colorful doesn’t necessarily mean you’re being targeted by predators. The red throat and turquoise body of the sequined cottinga is less flashy than some other bird species, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful than other colorful birds in the world. In direct sunlight, the combinations of blue, red and purple that the males of this species display are truly stunning, these birds can be difficult to spot. The noticeable presence of black in their plumage accentuates their coloration when they appear to mate, helping them to camouflage themselves from predators among the trees.
Females of this species are more subdued in coloration, which provides them with even more protection from predators, but both sexes generally do not move too much from their small habitats. Although they are a stunning sight in all of the Amazon rainforest, they can be quite difficult to see. And the fact that they are mostly silent means that bird watchers cannot even identify these birds by listening to them.
# 1: Scarlet Macaw: Talkative and Colorful
The plumage of the scarlet macaw tends to reflect all the colors of the rainbow – and when combined with their incredibly talkative nature, it can be assumed that they are one of the easiest targets for predators. But their bright coloration – along with the fact that they gather in flocks – actually serves as a protective agent. Scientists call this strategy “destructive coloration.” Predators’ eyes are designed to look straight ahead so they can focus on a single object, but when a group of macaws escapes together, their vibrant color combination makes it incredibly difficult for a predator to focus on a single object. That doesn’t stop predators from trying, and the scarlet macaw is hunted by everyone from monkeys to snakes to jaguars.
The Scarlet Macaw is not the most advanced human speech simulator, but it can learn a vocabulary of about five to ten words. Unfortunately, this most colorful bird in the world is endangered due to the destruction of its habitat and human interest in keeping them as pets.
Next: The 10 most common birds in North America.
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