iridescence

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Rivoli's hummingbird

Learn how a hummingbird can fly in any direction and about its iridescent plumage

iridescence

biology

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July 19, 2026

Quick Summary

Rivoli's hummingbird — Rivoli's hummingbird Rivoli's hummingbird (Eugenes fulgens) has iridescent structural colour.

Iridescence is a biological phenomenon that creates a rainbow-like play of color. This effect occurs when light waves interact with the microscopic structures of an organism, causing them to refract and reflect light at different angles. This results in colors that change as the viewing angle shifts.1

In biology, iridescence is a type of structural coloration, also known as schemochromes. Unlike pigmentary colors, which are produced by natural pigments (biochromes), structural colors are created by physical properties of the organism's tissues. These colors can be altered or destroyed by physical manipulation like crushing or grinding.23

Examples of iridescence in nature include the colors seen on soap bubbles, fish scales, and the lining of mollusk shells, known as mother-of-pearl. The specific hues and intensity of iridescent colors depend on the thickness of the layers within the organism's structure and the angle from which the light is viewed.145

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coloration
Interference
…ultrathinly layered films, giving striking iridescence, even in diffuse light, as a result of the asynchrony between the wavelengths of visible light that enter and those that return.
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…ultrathinly layered films, giving striking iridescence, even in diffuse light, as a result of the asynchrony between the wavelengths of visible light that enter and those that return.
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bird
Colour
Iridescent colours result from the thinly laminated structure of the barbules and are enhanced by underlying melanin deposits.
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Iridescent colours result from the thinly laminated structure of the barbules and are enhanced by underlying melanin deposits.
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hummingbird
Natural history
…the gorget, a bib of iridescent feathers the colour of which depends on the viewing angle. Other specializations include crests; abbreviated or thickened shafts of wing feathers; spatulate, wiry, or flaglike tail feathers; and “pantaloons,” tufts of puffy feathers on the thighs (usually white).
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…the gorget, a bib of iridescent feathers the colour of which depends on the viewing angle. Other specializations include crests; abbreviated or thickened shafts of wing feathers; spatulate, wiry, or flaglike tail feathers; and “pantaloons,” tufts of puffy feathers on the thighs (usually white).
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peacock
Natural history
…feather is tipped with an iridescent eyespot that is ringed with blue and bronze. In courtship displays, the cock elevates his tail, which lies under the train, thus elevating the train and bringing it forward. At the climax of this display, the tail feathers are vibrated, giving the feathers of…
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…feather is tipped with an iridescent eyespot that is ringed with blue and bronze. In courtship displays, the cock elevates his tail, which lies under the train, thus elevating the train and bringing it forward. At the climax of this display, the tail feathers are vibrated, giving the feathers of…
Read More