Feathers on birds of paradise contain light-trapping nanotechnology that makes some of the deepest blacks in the world.The birds-of-paradise are among the most beautiful creatures on earth—and an extraordinary example of evolutionary adaptation. This black is so dark that your eyes cannot focus on its surface.
image/text credit: LabofOrnithology
It looks like a cave, or a fuzzy black hole in space. Using optical measurements, we found that these feather patches absorb up to 99.95 percent of directly incident light. That’s comparable to human-made very black materials such as solar panels, the lining of space telescopes, and even the “blackest black” material.
Vantablack, which absorbs 99.96 percent of light.The displays of color, sound, and motion that make these birds so remarkable. Birds of paradise, mainly found in the dense mountain rain forests of Papua New Guinea and Australia are the wonders of the avian world – ranging from black to bright colours.
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The super-black feathers have evolved to make the male appear as the best suitor for a female and most likely to produce the most offspring.The most important thing for male birds is to attract a mate, so it is clearly worth it to invest in beautiful feathers.
