If you ground up a blue feather from a bluebird you would get a gray brown powder. Bluebird feathers have no pigment. Blue is a structural color coming from unique cell layers overlying the feathers when sunlight hit the layers the color blue is reflected.  No feathers have blue pigment, even with the indigo bunting and the bluejay. If you would show a back light to a blue feathers it would appear grayish brown, showing only its actual pigment. Interesting!

Taken from Backyard Birds Inc.  *copy rights permitted for education purpose only.

The Ambassador for the Bluebirds

Harry Schmeider