University of Michigan Museum of Zoology

Pierre is looking at a green iridescent feather from a male Ocellated Turkey (Agriocharis ocellata) from a specimen in the Bird Division of the Museum of Zoology.  He is using a spectrophotometer to examine this sample for color reflectance. He will sample a few barbules for analysis of the nanostructures responsible for the production of the iridescent color, which will be used to model the highly organized structures found in the barbules of the feather.