Isn't she gorgeous? What about her amazing camouflage?
The mallards were seen at the Fenwick Street dam in Framingham, MA.
Of course, they flew away as soon as they saw me.
A male mallard's head feathers are actually black. The shape of the feather is such that it reflects light in two opposite directions. If the light hits the feather at one angle, you see the color green.
If the light hit at a different angle, you see a blue or purple head color. It is call interference lighting. The same phenomenon is seen in pheasant's neck feathers and in hummingbirds.
Iridescent green head at the Fenwick Street dam.
Iridescent blue under the bridge at Wickford Street.
Lovely series Susan, showing how the lighting changes the Mallard's clourful head. FAB.
ReplyDeleteLove the photos, especially first one: really amazing camouflage.
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