News Release

Ohio Wesleyan-Led Research Published in Biology Letters Journal
Peer-Reviewed Article Examines Parrot Feathers, Color Pigments, Bacterial Degradation

October 6, 2010

DELAWARE, OH – For the first time, pigments associated with the bright colors of parrot feathers have been shown to slow the ravages of feather-degrading bacteria that live in the plumage, according to new Ohio Wesleyan University-led research published in Biology Letters.

The peer-reviewed journal, published in London by the British Royal Society, is committed to sharing “short, highly-innovative, cutting-edge research articles and opinion pieces accessible to scientists from across the biological sciences.”

Ohio Wesleyan zoology professor Edward H. “Jed” Burtt Jr., Ph.D., led the research in collaboration with 2009 OWU alumni Max R. Schroeder, currently pursuing a doctoral degree in microbiology and molecular genetics at Emory University; Lauren Smith, now completing an internship at Cradle of Forestry in America at Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina; Jenna Sroka, currently pursuing a doctoral degree in biochemistry at Case Western Reserve University; and Kevin McGraw, Ph.D., an associate professor at Arizona State University.

According to the new research, titled “Colourful Parrot Feathers Resist Bacterial Degradation,” pigments unique to parrots, known as psittacofulvins, help the mostly tropical birds harden their feathers against degradation by bacteria.

“Red feathers resist degradation better than yellow ones, presumably because the red pigment is larger than the yellow form,” Burtt and his colleagues write. “Also, among red feathers, those with more pigment are more resistant to bacterial degradation. Melanin, the common black pigment, which occurs in all birds including parrots, also slowed bacterial degradation. These new data suggest that feather colors are selected not only as social signals or camouflage, but also for their ability to resist bacterial degradation.”

“Our research is helping us understand the interactions between microorganisms and larger animals, which may move the microbes around,” Burtt said. “It also helps us understand the evolutionary trade-offs between protecting yourself against microbes and having a good color for signaling to a potential mate.”

The research, which used Ohio Wesleyan’s scanning electron microscope, was funded by a grant from the OWU Honors Program. Learn more about Biology Letters.

Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier small, private universities, with more than 90 undergraduate majors, sequences, and courses of study, and 23 Division III varsity sports. Located in Delaware, Ohio, just minutes north of Ohio’s capital and largest city, Columbus, the university combines a globally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities that translate classroom theory into real-world practice. OWU’s close-knit community of 1,850 students represents 45 states and 52 countries. Ohio Wesleyan earned a 2009 Presidential Award for Excellence in General Community Service, is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” and is included on the “best colleges” lists of U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. Learn more at www.owu.edu.