Technology and science
March 07, 2023 at 12:27
Photo: Jean-Lou Zimmermann | Male Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) in demonstration flight
Research shows that her feathers are capable of reflecting up to 55% of light, making them about 30% more reflective than any other in the world.
Nature never ceases to amaze scientists – so this time, the researchers believe that they managed to find a bird with the snow-white feathers known in the history of observations, writes Science Alert.
In a new study, an international team of scientists studied the feathers of the Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) that were kept in an ornithological collection in Switzerland. According to study lead author and Imperial College London ornithologist Jamie Dunning, bird lovers have known that woodcocks have these curious white spots, but no one would have guessed that they had such reflectivity.
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Note that woodcocks are mottled brown birds with white spots located on the underside of the tail feathers. They are generally found in Europe and Asia, and in the spring, males use these spots to attract females on the ground, while females, on the contrary, use them to attract males flying overhead. This amazing ritual takes place at dusk or dawn, the hours when these birds are most active.
White tips of woodcock feathers
Photo: Liliana D’Alba
Researchers know that at other times these white patches are usually hidden under mottled brown feathers, allowing them to camouflage themselves in leaf litter without attracting predators while they hunt.
In the course of the study, scientists found that these white woodcock feathers are, in fact, unique in the feathered world, as their reflectivity reaches a record 55%, which is on average 30% more than any other known bird. Dunning notes that from a scientific point of view, this uniqueness of feathers is actually quite understandable, because “they must collect all the light available in a very dimly lit environment under the forest canopy at night.”
The branches on the white tail feathers of the woodcock are arranged like blinds.
Photo: Liliana D’Alba
During the study, the scientists used spectrometry to measure the reflectance of light, as well as optical modeling to track how light interacts with the internal structures of the pen itself. Next, the scientists compared the results with samples from other birds and found that they found the whitest feathers on record.
The researchers note that macro- and microscopic structures within the feather are responsible for this brilliant reflective effect of the woodcock’s white feathers. For example, the branches within the feather itself were flattened and stacked on top of each other like blinds – this increases the surface area available for reflection and prevents light from penetrating through the gaps between the branches.
Close-up of a feather
Photo: Gail Robyn Robertson
In addition, the results of the study suggest that feather branches are better at scattering light in many directions due to the fact that they are composed of a network of keratin nanofibers and air pockets. Scientists note that it was all this taken together that made the woodcock feathers extremely white and effective in reflection.
Previously, Focus wrote that a bird that lived 66 million years ago crossed out everything we knew about the evolution of birds.
