Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

This is not fake news.

The Collared Kingfisher, a common resident in Singapore, actually has brown-pigmented feathers.

No blue pigment

The National Park's Board (NParks) put up a Facebook post to share about the various "tricks" employed by our local wildlife.

One such illusion is the Collared Kingfisher's distinctive blue plumage, void of any blue pigment.

"Its vivid blue colour is due to a phenomenon known as structural colouration," explains NParks.

This means that the colour we see is a result of tiny physical features, or nanostructures, on the feather's surface.

The feather interacts with light in a specific way to produce the colour we perceive.

So although it appears a brilliant blue, shining a light under the feather would reveal its brown pigment caused by melanin in the feather.

Blue colours in feathers are almost always produced in this manner, according to the Cornell Lab's Bird Academy.

Structural colouration is also responsible for iridescence in the wild, such as peacock feathers and butterfly wings.

Find out more fun facts about our local wildlife here:

Top image by Bryan Lim.