There are a few rare animals in the world that are blue and also birds. While most birds have colors like brown, black, white or a mix, there are some unique species that exhibit brilliant blue plumage. The most well-known blue bird is likely the Blue Jay, which is a common sight across North America. However, there are also some more exotic options found in different parts of the world. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the possibilities for animals that fit the description of being blue and a bird.
Blue Jay
The Blue Jay is a songbird species in the Corvidae family that is native to eastern North America. They are known for their distinctive bright blue feathers on the back and tail. Their belly and chest feathers are off-white and they have a blue crest on top of their head. The Blue Jay has blue and black barring on its wings and tail feathers.
This familiar backyard bird earned its name honestly thanks to its brilliant blue hue. The color comes from light reflecting off the molecular structure of the feathers. Structural colors like these occur without pigments through light refraction off of air pockets and tiny bubbles in the feather barbules. All of the feathers contain this blue structural coloration, except for the wings and tail which also contain melanin pigmentation for the black barring.
Blue Jays are very common throughout the eastern and central United States and Canada, found in forests but also along the edges in backyards and parks. They are social and intelligent birds that sometimes mimic hawk calls as a way to trick other birds. Their diverse diet includes nuts, berries, seeds, and sometimes even small insects and frogs. The Blue Jay has a large range and stable population and is not considered endangered.
Blue Bird-of-Paradise
The Blue Bird-of-Paradise is a striking member of the Paradisaeidae family native to rainforests of New Guinea. As their name suggests, the males of this species have brilliant, iridescent azure plumage. Their distinctive feathers have been prized by native cultures for ceremonial costumes.
Unlike many bird-of-paradise species where only the males have ornamental feathers, the female Blue Bird-of-Paradise also has blue plumage, though hers is not quite as vibrant. Both sexes also have pale blue beaks and feet. The birds have distinctive calls described as rising and falling twitters, chuckles, and thin, high-pitched screams.
The Blue Bird-of-Paradise is approximately 15 cm long and weighs 30-40 grams. Males have two long black tail wires that trail behind their body up to around 20 cm in length. Their diet consists mainly of fruits and arthropods. This elusive species spends most of its time high in the forest canopy.
This bird has an extremely small range restricted to certain mountainous rainforest regions of Indonesia. Habitat loss is the largest threat for this rare species and they are classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Sightings of the beautiful Blue Bird-of-Paradise are a magical rarity.
Hyacinth Macaw
The Hyacinth Macaw is an amazingly majestic parrot native to central and eastern South America that happens to be bright blue. With a length of about 1 meter it is longer than any other species of parrot. This makes the Hyacinth Macaw the largest macaw and the largest flying parrot species in the world.
The Hyacinth Macaw gets its name from the distinctive hyacinth-blue plumage covering its body, wings and tail. It has bright yellow rings around its large black beak and circles of yellow bare skin around its eyes. Powerful gray and black feet provide a contrast to the vibrant blue feathers. These colors make the Hyacinth Macaw incredibly visually striking.
This rare macaw prefers palm swamps and woodland areas near waterways deep in the Pantanal region of Brazil, as well as parts of Bolivia and Paraguay. It feeds mostly on nuts and seeds, especially from the native palm trees. The Hyacinth Macaw is endangered due to habitat loss and trapping for the pet trade.
Very few parrots in the world can match the glorious blue color found on the Hyacinth Macaw. Seeing one of these macaws flying gracefully through the South American landscape in a blur of blue is an unforgettable moment.
Blue-throated Bee-eater
The Blue-throated Bee-eater is a brightly colored species of bee-eater bird found in forests across the Indian subcontinent. As their name indicates, these birds have beautiful bright blue feathers covering their throat. The rest of the body is decorated in other vivid hues.
The crown of the Blue-throated Bee-eater’s head has a blue-green patch, while the back and wings are green. The tail feathers are long and tapered, colored rusty cinnamon. The belly is a rich chestnut color. The large eyes are red-brown with a black stripe running through them. All of this color comes from pigmentation rather than the structural blue of some other species.
These compact birds are only about 10-12 inches long from beak tip to tail tip but their colorful plumage makes them stand out. Males and females look the same. The Blue-throated Bee-eater gets its name from its diet consisting mainly of bees, wasps, dragonflies, and other flying insects which it catches mid-air.
This species is found widely distributed in appropriate habitat across India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. It prefers forests, plantations, and wooded areas. The Blue-throated Bee-eater excavates nesting tunnels in sandy banks. These fascinating birds are not globally threatened.
European Roller
The European Roller is a medium-sized bird that breeds across many parts of central and southern Europe as well as parts of western Asia and northern Africa. It gets its name from its incredible aerial acrobatic displays. The European Roller has dark blue wings and a brilliant blue breast that stand out when it is flying.
Though classified in the Coraciidae family of rollers, the European Roller is the only member of its genus. Its head has a black crown and crest. The nape of the neck is greenish-blue. The upper back transitions from purple-blue to azure blue wings. The bird’s underside is pale orange-brown turning to powder blue over the chest. The roller’s black bill is large and heavy-set.
This species frequents open habitats like steppes, grasslands, savannas and open woodlands, nesting in abandoned burrows or tree hollows. It enjoys perching prominently on trees, fence posts or power lines while watching for prey. Diet consists mainly of insects and small vertebrates.
The European Roller population faces threats from habitat loss across parts of its range. But stable numbers and huge range covering more than 10 million square kilometers mean this colorful bird remains of Least Concern conservationally. When taking flight, the brilliant blue Hungarian sky receives some competition from this flashy bird.
Kingfisher
While most kingfisher species worldwide have colorful plumage in shades of blue, green, or orange, there are a handful of species that are almost entirely blue. For example, the Blue Kingfisher found in northern Australia and New Guinea gets its name from the male’s entirely blue plumage. Only the female has some rust coloring on the belly.
Other Australian kingfishers with dominantly blue feathers include the Azure Kingfisher and Little Kingfisher. Across the oceans, the Blue-eared Kingfisher and the Collared Kingfisher found in parts of Asia and the Philippines also have largely blue plumage.
These birds have evolved this blue coloration because it provides camouflage when they are perched beside waterways waiting to ambush fish and aquatic prey. From below, their blue hues help them blend in against the sky and water reflections. The blue comes from pigmentation as well as refracting feather structures.
So while most kingfishers are more brightly multi-colored, there are a few species within this diverse family of birds that are specifically all blue. They provide some of the clearest examples of birds that are almost entirely a brilliant sky blue shade. The kingfisher’s fishing behavior lives up to its regal name, even if its blue plumage seems more humble.
Bee Hummingbird
Native to Cuba, the Bee Hummingbird is the smallest bird species in the world, measuring just 5-6 centimeters long and weighing 1.6-2 grams. Don’t let its tiny size fool you though, this tiny bird exhibits beautiful iridescent plumage in metallic blues and greens. The male has especially vibrant turquoise gorget feathers on his throat.
Despite its diminutive stature, the Bee Hummingbird is highly aggressive and territorial. They guard flowering plants and feed on nectar and pollen using their long slender beaks. In addition to plants, they catch small insects on the wing. During courtship displays, male Bee Hummingbirds hover in front of females and flutter their wings rapidly to produce a loud hum.
These energetic birds flap their wings up to 80 times per second, creating the characteristic humming sound that gives them their name. The high visual contrast of the metallic blue and green plumage against the red bill and feet makes the male Bee Hummingbird look like a tiny flying jewel. Unfortunately, habitat loss puts this Cuban endemic at risk of extinction.
Blue Crow
The Blue Crow is a rare bird endemic to the island of Banggai in Indonesia that exhibits an unusual genetic trait resulting in spectacular blue black plumage covering its whole body. The crow’s beak, legs and eyes are also black, providing stark contrast against the blue hues.
This ancient mutation causing the blue coloration is thought to have evolved over millions of years due to the island’s isolation. It results from a structural irregularity in how light refracts off the feather barbules. There are an estimated global population of only 1300 Blue Crows remaining.
Around a quarter the size of an American crow at just 30 cm long, the Blue Crow feeds on small reptiles, insects and eggs stolen from nests. Unfortunately, deforestation has severely reduced habitat for this incredibly unique corvid. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the rare Blue Crow as Critically Endangered.
Factors Producing Blue Color in Birds
There are two main ways that blue coloration occurs in birds – through pigmentation and through structural feather properties. Understanding how blue hues are created helps explain some of the world’s rarest avian gems.
Pigmentation
Some blue bird species get their color from pigments within the feathers. Pigments produce colors through the selective absorption and reflection of certain wavelengths of light. Different pigments create different colors.
Carotenoid pigments are responsible for many red, orange, and yellow bird colors. However, blue pigments like psittacofulvins are rarer in nature. Birds that appear blue due to psittacofulvin deposits in their feathers include Eastern Bluebirds and Indigo Buntings. The blue in kingfishers and bee-eaters also comes from blue pigments.
Structural Coloration
The other way birds can appear blue involves structural coloration rather than pigments. Microscopic structures within the feathers cause light interference and refraction that select for blue wavelengths.
These tissue structures include thin-film layers, diffraction gratings, and scattering from collagen arrays. The medullary keratin layer of feathers contains air pockets and channels that function like nano-scale light switches.
This type of structural coloration allows even occasional uncommon blue species like Blue Jays and Blue Birds-of-Paradise to exhibit brilliant hues. The effect depends on the precise anatomical arranging of tissues, so even a small variation can tune the visible color.
Conclusion
While most of the world’s birds display colors on the spectrum of reds, yellows, oranges, greens, and browns, there are a select few unique species that exhibit brilliant blue plumage. From familiar backyard birds like the Blue Jay to rare tropical species like the Blue Bird-of-Paradise, blue birds provide some of nature’s most spectacular colors.
The vibrant hues come from either blue pigments like psittacofulvins or from structural coloration due to microscopic structures in the feathers. Regardless of the mechanism, blue birds stand out as some of the most beautiful sights in the natural world. The Bluethroat may sing the blues, but blue birds worldwide symbolize health, happiness and Prosperity. Their elegantly colored plumage proves that fact can be as strange as fiction when it comes to mother nature’s imagination.
| Species | Region | Color Source |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Jay | North America | Structural |
| Blue Bird-of-Paradise | New Guinea | Structural |
| Hyacinth Macaw | South America | Pigment |
| Blue-throated Bee-eater | Indian Subcontinent | Pigment |
| European Roller | Europe, Asia, Africa | Pigment |
| Kingfishers | Asia, Australia | Pigment |
| Bee Hummingbird | Cuba | Structural |
| Blue Crow | Indonesia | Structural |
