From parrots to peacocks, we’re all familiar with brightly colored birds. Our feathered friends use vivid pigments to attract a mate – but where do they get their colors? And is it true that tropical birds are brighter than their cousins from the north? Humboldt and Darwin certainly thought so – Yet it took scientists until 2022 to prove their theory right. Now, thanks to mathematical color analysis and over 24,000 images, we know that tropical birds are roughly 30% more colorful than temperate species! But where do their vivid pigments come from?Join us on a fascinating journey into birds’ feathers, where we discover the foods, pigments, and microstructures that make flamingos pink and turacos green. For more amazing stories from the natural world, subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TerraMaterOfficial?sub_confirmation=1 💡 Want to know more wild facts? Check out our Wild to Know series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3CjNbCdQe-qL0vweacJkW6qvQpOtXYv Chapters: 00:00 Get Ready for some Color! 00:41 Are Tropical Birds More Colorful? 01:33 Hey I see You! Subscribe! Please! 01:48 The Answer is ... 02:21 What Light has to do with Color 02:56 Pigments and the Visible Spectrum 03:34 Bernd the Bird and his Colors 04:10 Carotenoids 04:40 Parrots are Special 05:00 Melanin 05:39 Blue? Structural Coloration! 06:35 Green? Turacos and Mixing Color! 06:59 Why Tropical Birds really might be more Colorful! 08:04 This is the End my Friend. Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PLl283ppkQwBycoJijsDgsR7k9FOSbBaY2S084aTTAA/edit?usp=sharing #tropicalbirds #colors #birds #terramater