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In extant birds, the portion of the
skin that bears feathers (e.g. most of the body) is usually unpigmented or
slightly yellow in color. There are some exceptions, among them some chicken
mutants pigmented by melanin. The skin does not generally reflect the colors of
the feathers. However, the feathers do provide protection from the sun. The skin
generally on the body is relatively soft and very loosely attached. That is why
birds are so easy to skin. The skin contains numerous types of sensory nerve
endings. There is also a set of specialized muscle that allow for the
movement of the feathers in the follicle. The posture of the feathers can play a
role in theromoregulation. Birds have no sweat gland in the skin.
In the unfeathered portions such as the
foot, the face and head the skin may be pigmented or display structural colors
(i.e. blue, iridescent, etc). There are various additional structures such as
wattles, comb, etc that are colored as well. These have all sorts of functions,
may be under hormonal regulation and are actually rather complex
structures.
The color patterns of the feathers are
independent of the underlying skin.
Hope this helps
Alan H.
Brush
M.J. Spring Brush 92 High St. Mystic, CT 06355 brush@uconn.cted.edu
860-572-1717 |