Trick of light

A male western bluebird takes flight from a hazelnut sapling while foraging for insects in an orchard near Elkton in western Oregon on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020. The blue color in the bluebird's feathers is not produced by pigment, but is a result of the structure of the feathers. According to Birdnote.org, tiny air pockets and melanin pigment crystals in each feather scatter blue light outwards and absorb the other wavelengths. With a trick of light, the concentrated blue light leaves the feather to catch the eye of the beholder.