The spectacular red feathers of certain parrots owe their vibrancy to a rare set of pigments found nowhere else in nature, a new study suggests.
Kevin McGraw of Arizona State University in Tempe and Mary Nogare, a parrot enthusiast in Snoqualmie, Wash., analyzed feathers from 44 species of parrots mainly from pet stores, owners’ homes, and zoos.
The researchers extracted and characterized the pigments. They found that all the birds’ red feathers contained a set of five pigments called polyenal lipochromes.