Bird Feathers and Colors

A grid of six colorful hummingbirds.
Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your Western Hummingbirds?
July 10, 2025 — Think you can tell a Calliope from a Costa's? Let's find out.
Bird News
Portrait of a mottled brown Rock Ptarmigan looking straight on at the camera.
It’s One of the Biggest Events in a Bird’s Life. Scientists Can’t Agree How to Talk About It.
September 12, 2024 — Every species replaces its feathers by molting, but a passionate debate among ornithologists about what to call the plumage swaps spans oceans and generations.
Bird Science
Woodcocks Don’t Let Migration Mess With Their Sex Lives
April 24, 2024 — A new study finds the first proof that timberdoodles mate as they migrate, an extremely rare behavior known as itinerant breeding.
Bird Science
Close-up portrait of a hawk with bright, all-white feathers with its mouth open and tongue sticking out.
This White Red-tailed Hawk Isn't Just Gorgeous—It's Also a Rare Scientific Opportunity
March 12, 2024 — The stunning raptor was recently trapped in Oklahoma by an awestruck group of researchers, who affixed the bird with a GPS transmitter for further study.
A plump, streaky brown bird with large eyes and long beak stands on a lichen-covered stone looking at the camera.
Drab but Fab: Woodcocks Wear the Whitest Whites in the Avian Wardrobe
April 28, 2023 — Though mostly camouflaged, Eurasian Woodcocks have brilliant patches much whiter than any feathers previously measured, a recent study finds.
Bird Science
Ask Kenn: What’s Up With Bird Color Morphs and Phases?
November 24, 2021 — In some species, many adults wear different color patterns from others. Kenn Kaufman explains the phenomenon, and the lingo to describe it.
Bird Questions and Facts
The Wild Blue Turkey That Blew My Mind
November 26, 2019 — Appreciating the avian diversity that’s there to astound us—if only we look.
7 Hummingbirds That Wear Pants With Flair (Plus One Bonus)
December 14, 2018 — Meet the "puffleg” birds of the Latin American tropics, covered in feathers all the way down.
Bird Science