All the crayons: organisms that display the full colour spectrum

[mbdbirds]

We have a lot of Rainbow colored birds in Australia:

Rainbow Lorikeets:

Eastern Rosellas:

Rainbow Bee-eaters:

and Musk Lorikeets:

to name just a few.

[broacher]

When we start to get into non-pigment based structural physics (structural coloring), there’s a lot of very interesting bio-nano-tech going on.

Weevils and their amazing color-tuned, embedded ‘diamonds’. Butterfly scales, feathers, buttercup flowers – thin-film interference. a range of photonic mechanisms, including diffraction gratings, selective mirrors, crystal fibres, photonic crystals, matrices of nanochannels and proteins.

Marble Berry with the most intense blue in nature through its unique spirals of micro cellulose fibres.

These and a bunch of other tricks that are still being unraveled reveals that nature came up with optical physics tools long before we ‘discovered’ or invented our own.

We have learned many natural nano-structure secrets around colors, and there are many yet to come.

[chipperatl]

[whaichi]

I had a similar reaction with the genus Rainbowia – interesting name but my interaction with one was not as colorful as I would have assumed.

[Clip]

Painted Bunting

[Clip]

American Kestrel

[whaichi]

A few examples from the world of insects …

Another long-legged fly with a shiny, rainbow appearance –

Subfamily Sciapodinae | 얼룩장다리파리아과 | Observation

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I had wanted to see a tiger beetle for the longest time and when I finally did encounter one it was kind enough to let me get close enough to snap these pictures –

Cicindela chinensis | East Asian Tiger Beetle · 길앞잡이 | Observation

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Seeing these stink bugs always brightens my day –

Poecilocoris splendidulus nymph | 큰광대노린재 | Observation

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And what I think is the first spider posted in the thread …

A very fast-moving individual with irridescent bristles –

Genus Micaria, possibly Micaria dives | Observation

[Thunderhead]

Orchard Orbweaver

[susanne-kasimir]

Thalassoma pavo

[Kingkestrel373]

Probably this Poecilus ground beetle

[tjeales]

Nymph of katydid Ozphyllum naskreckii

[tjeales]

Coracias caudatus ssp. caudatus Lilac-breasted Rolle

[oksanaetal]

Whoa. Could you provide a link to the observation?

[klyle161]

Just WOW!!! Beautiful!

[ItsMeLucy]

@oksanaetal I am not @tjeales but the bird is here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/171954676 and the katydid nymph here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/249569701

Both are stunning, wow!

[sethshively]

This red-spotted darter (the top fish) is probably the closest I have

[sethshively]

Or maybe this dollar sunfish

[kroolik]

Melampyrum nemorosum, quite common plant in Polish forests.

[Clip]

Black-dotted Spragueia Moth

[oksanaetal]

Thank you!