Birds show an amazing diversity in plumage color and patterning. But what are the genetic mechanisms creating such patterns? Researchers now report that two independent mutations are required to ...

Quick Take Vulturine guinea fowl’s blue and white plumage comes from feather structure, not pigments, creating vivid, ...

Some patterns arise simply or randomly, but others develop via complex, precise interactions of pattern-generating systems. Their beauty aside, the intricacies of these systems are inspiring the ...

Spots v stripes A discovery that reveals how bird feathers get their patterns also has implications for regenerative medicine, say scientists. Feathers not only keep birds warm and protect them from ...

The vulturine guinea fowl’s electric blue feathers are not pigments. Scientists reveal how microscopic structures manipulate ...

The remains of pigments have been spotted in a fossilized bird feather. The work could point the way to determining the colour of feathers on long-extinct creatures, from birds to dinosaurs. Derek ...