This is bird note.

When a perched male ruby-throated hummingbird raises its head toward the sun at just the right angle.

Its throat glitters like a crimson spotlight.

When it turns its head slightly, the bird's throat no longer gleams.

It appears colorless, dark.

A hummingbird's brilliant throat feathers are called its gorgit. The term comes from days of old

when a knight in armor wore a metallic collar, or gorgitit to protect his throat. The hummingbird's intense

glint is the result of iridescence rather than colored pigments. The bird's

throat feathers contain minutely thin film-like layers of platelets,

set like tiles in a mosaic against a darker background. Light waves reflect and refract

off the mosaic, creating color in the manner of sun

glinting off a film of oil on water.

Listen to this male Anna's hummingbird putting his glitter to work.

There he goes, diving and displayed toward the female.

He plunges downward almost vertically, achieving tremendous speed.

Then he levels off and heads straight into the sun, which makes his gorgeous glow with iridescent brilliance. Like a tiny night and shining armor. You can

see a photo of a hummingbird's gorgit at birdnote.org. I'm Mary McCann.

I'm Mary McCann. you're