Comments on: Third Oz Blue Bird

By: maeko

maeko — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:04:14 +0000

i believe Higgins is correct. pond dye could be picked up by the birds from standing in the water or taking baths in small pools. notice how the color is concentrated on the feather tips and runs in a general vertical pattern with the grain of the feather. as each wet feather dries the dyed water will concentrate in the vertical direction of least resistance. like clothes drying on the line, the water will concentrate at the tips or in pockets allowing the dye to set at higher concentrations.

in the ibis, the color is strongest in the part of the wing that would sit in the water while he wades. it would also be the last spot to dry while he stood on the shore.

By: Criptidkid56

Criptidkid56 — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:24:20 +0000

To Squiver, the question is what creature that it eats could turn it blue, i think it will take some more in depth research

By: Squiver

Squiver — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:34:53 +0000

I have a few problems with the theory that these animals are being dyed.

1) Some of these animals (note the second bird) do not spend any amount of time completely submerged in water, therefore it would be difficult for the animal to recieve a full coat of dye from the affected water.
2) One would assume that if the animals were dyed, it would be a solid, unvarying shade of blue. However, the coloration is darkest and most prevalent on the areas of the body that would, in their natural hues, be the darker areas of the animal.

Ergo, my best hypothesis is that the animals have been eating some variety of very blue food that has been introduced into their niche. While I’ll admit that I’m not an Ibis expert, it is well known that flamingos are pink because of their diet of pink food, not their genetic condition, and a Scarlet Ibis, native to the same area as the flamingo, is the same shade of pink as a flamingo. So I will make the assumption that the Ibis is affected by food coloration the same way a flamingo is, and, by extension, the rest of these birds.

By: Munnin

Munnin — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:45:07 +0000

Very interesting indeed. Some external effect like dye seems likeliest to me also, due to this similar effect exhibited in the plumage of a variety of species. I doubt that something like a food source will prove to be the culprit, considering the significant differences in diet and habitat between such species as the white ibis and the house sparrow.

By: CryptoInformant 2.0

CryptoInformant 2.0 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:38:46 +0000

Alcalde - Smurfs? That’s probably the funniest suggestion I’ve heard yet.

Anyway, hopefully someone will check to see why the feather is blue, and we can write this one off as… well, whatever’s really going on here.

By: m

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:42:11 +0000

Hi Chris,
Can 1080 have this effect?
m

By: alcalde

alcalde — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:53:17 +0000

I disagree with the consensus and also with the idea that this is something unusual. This is a quite common occurrence when a bird’s local food source is lacking and instead it turns to a steady diet of Smurfs.

By: planettom

planettom — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:15:19 +0000

I agree with the others and believe the birds are being exposed to some sort of dye.

By: Alton Higgins

Alton Higgins — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:36:49 +0000

Hey Chris,

Good to hear from you. I would think that a chemist could use some kind of solvent to determine if the feather has been exposed to blue dye.

Good luck with your investigation.

By: youcantryreachingme

youcantryreachingme — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:01:03 +0000

Hi korollocke,

well it *is* unusual. The question is working out what’s causing it. It could be some exciting new discovery, or it could be something mundane. Either way it’s still a mystery at present.

Hi Alton,

that seems like the most plausible explanation I’ve read to date. Others have pointed out that the birds are probably dyed, but you’ve given a great example of how this might occur across 3 different species over 12 months.

I do know that fountains in the inner city have had coloured dyes in them at various times. The good news is that we have now located 1 feather - from the ibis. The question is whether anyone with qualification would be prepared to look at it. I’m sure staff at the Australian Museum would at least provide an opinion.

What we need is for someone to be able to say “yes - this feather has definitely been stained externally. It is not caused by the expression of some dye which has been ingested, nor of a genetic mutation. It is caused by pigment, and not by feather structure as is the case in all known naturally occuring cases of blue feathers.”

Will keep you posted if the mystery gets unravelled.

Chris.