|
|
|
Peacock Eye
 |
| Photo Information |
Copyright: Joe Kellard (JoeyL)
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 60 W: 31 N: 74]](http://i1.treklens.com/misc/g-s-g.gif) (552) |
| Genre: Places |
| Medium: Color |
| Date Taken: 2007-07-19 |
| Categories: Nature |
| Camera: Canon PowerShot S3 IS |
| Exposure: f/2.7, 1/100 seconds |
| More Photo Info: [view] |
| Photo Version: Original Version |
| Date Submitted: 2007-07-24 7:13 |
| Viewed: 532 |
| Points: 16 |
|
| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
The male (peacock) Indian Peafowl has beautiful iridescent blue-green or green coloured plumage. The so-called "tail" of the peacock, also termed the "train", is not the tail quill feathers but highly elongated upper tail coverts. The train feathers have a series of eyes that are best seen when the tail is fanned. Both species have a head crest.
The female (peahen) Indian Peafowl has a mixture of dull green, brown, and grey in her plumage. She lacks the long upper tail coverts of the male but has a crest. Females can also display their plumage to ward off danger to their young or other female competition.
The Green Peafowl is very different in appearance to the Indian Peafowl. The male has a more green and even gold plumage than the Indian Peafowl and even more brilliant color. The wings are black with a sheen of blue. The crest is of a very different shape and is tufted. The head is usually greenish in color, although the speculated new race/species P. (muticus) annamensis is said to have a bluer head than many other peafowl.
Unlike the Indian Peafowl, the Green Peahen is very similar to the male, only having shorter upper tail coverts and less iridesence. It is very hard to tell a juvenile male from an adult female. The female of the speculated race/species annamensis has an incredibly golden sheen, but that is exhibited in both sexes.
Many of the brilliant colours of the peacock plumage are due to an optical interference phenomenon (Bragg reflection) based on (nearly) periodic nanostructures found in the barbules (fiber-like components) of the feathers.
Different colours correspond to different length scales of the periodic structures. For brown feathers, a mixture of red and blue is required: one color is created by the periodic structure, and the other is a created by a Fabry-Perot interference peak from reflections off the outermost and innermost boundaries of the periodic structure.
Such interference-based structural color is especially important in producing the peacock's iridescent hues (which shimmer and change with viewing angle), since interference effects depend upon the angle of light, unlike chemical pigments.
Thankyou for your comments |
taba, Janice has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekLens members may rate photo notes. |
|
|
| Discussions |
| None | | You must be logged in to start a discussion. |
|
![Gold Star Critiquer [C: 51 W: 0 N: 0]](http://i1.treklens.com/misc/g-n-n.gif)
(247)![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 424 W: 163 N: 309]](http://i1.treklens.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(2011)![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Workshop Editor/Silver Note Writer [C: 599 W: 66 N: 31]](http://i1.treklens.com/misc/g-g-s.gif)
(5814)