Page 69 - Allah's Artistry in Colour

Birds' feathers are lifeless structures that are con-
tinuously renewed. At every renewal, the same
colours are produced again.
produce black, brown or dull yellow,
lipochrome pigments that produce red, yel-
low or orange, and carotenoids. Blue, green
and some other bright colours in birds are
created by microscopic bubbles in the ker-
atin of the feathers that refract the light. The
feathers absorbing the full spectrum of light
and only reflecting blue, on the other hand,
creates the blue colour of some birds. 40
Hormones also play an important role
in colour change in birds. The colour differ-
ence between the male and female members
of some species is caused by sex hormones.
The different colourings and feather shapes
of cocks and hens, for example, depend on
the oestrogen hormone.
The colours of birds are important for
their adaptation to their habitat as well as for
male and female members' recognition of
each other and the males' courtship of fe-
males in the mating season. In addition, pig-
ments, which give colour to feathers, en-