The strange physics of why blue jays look blue even though they aren’t

Watching birds is great entertainment, and there’s fascinating physics behind how some get their colours, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

RooM the Agency / Alamy

HERE in New Hampshire, I live next to a wooded area, and covid-19 means that I have been spending a lot of time at home. This has translated into me becoming a bit of a birder.

All day long, I text friends with my sightings – a hawk walking on the ground hunting smaller birds, a female northern cardinal, a bird that I thought was a woodpecker but was actually a warbler. I enjoy all of the birds I see, but my favourite visitors are the blue jays. They have such a beautiful pattern of bright …