Oo Oo Oocyan
So birds do not produce blue pigments . . .
Egg of Zanzibar Bishop (Euplectes nigroventris), on the left beside egg of Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata)
. . . at least not in their feathers.
While there are no known blue avian integumentary pigments, the blue-green coloration of avian eggshell is the result of biliverdin (or oocyan) pigmentation.
And in case you have an appetite for a blue omelette, read this myth-buster.
[…] blue pigment. Biliverdin, the pigment responsible for the blue-green coloration observable in the photo of the egg that I posted, is also a precious […]
Distressed and Feeling Blue « I am the Finch Wench said this on Friday, 10 October 2008 at 1:31 |
[…] Bishops: nothing to be blue about! Do you remember those blue eggs? I found these here and there in the bird […]
Zanzibar Bishops: nothing to be blue about! « I am the Finch Wench said this on Tuesday, 8 September 2009 at 4:50 |