A team of researchers from different Czech, New Zealand and American institutions coordinated by experts from the Department of Biology at the University of Akron, in the USA, has discovered the first known bird eggs that present iridescence .
As revealed in a study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface , the bluish color of the eggs of the tinamou olive, a turkey-like bird that inhabits Central and South America, varies to some extent depending on the angle from the one they are seen.
This peculiarity is due to the presence of a fine external cuticle of calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate and different organic compounds. When the scientists removed it, they observed that the iridescence also disappeared. Until now, one of the most widespread hypotheses among biologists is that the main function of the colors and patterns that the eggs wear is to make them go unnoticed in their environment, so that predators do not notice their existence.
This new test, however, suggests that iridescence allows parents to identify their eggs from those laid by other birds of the same species.
Photo: Karsten Thomsen
