I couldn't resist...

[Monica]

My mother bought me a black light in lieu of working around the house and making sure it was tidy and clean (well, there are still some things I need to do but I've done quite a bit already). I've been wanting a black light for ages, but never really thought about it... I once had one, but never really got to try it out because soon after getting it, the light broke... Well, now I have one of those fancy tube lights, and it's not to hang up and make a room look awesome... it was for an experiment that I've been dying to try!

An experiment was done on budgies and studies found that they had fluorescent feathers that helped to attract a potential mate. Obviously, this doesn't work with all parrots (I don't know with what species it does or does not work with, though it doesn't work with Noel, my cherry head conure!). It was the fluorescent feathers that were the head of a budgie that lit up... anywhere else on the budgie, no feathers lit up. It was also found that budgies preferred mates with just as bright feathers as any as compared to ones who had a duller brightness of feathers...


So I've got this light, and I've got to try it out! I plugged it in in a few places around my room to test each bird, though only 3 birds, out of 8, actually 'lit up'. Here is what I mean...

The two 'yellow heads' are Cosmo and Georgia, and if you can see them, Smurf and Sophia are sitting mid-lower part of the image... As one can see, only the green budgies lit up, while the blue budgies did not. There are two females, and two males, one of each color.


This is a 'close-up' of Cosmo and Georgia

The photos may not be all that great as the camera I was using wasn't meant to take night images unless the camera was PERFECTLY still, and the subject/object was PERFECTLY still as well... The OTHER bird who lit up though, was Casey! She looked dazzling, yet creepy, but again intriguing that it was all so odd!

For more photos, and even some of Casey, check out this link!
http://photobucket.com/albums/0903/M...Black%20Light/

[KellamGuy7603]

Wow thats pretty cool. i never knew that happened. why exactly does that happen only to the green budgies

[basketbagley]

That's almost freaky!!! Way cool!!!! thanks for sharing!

[Monica]

It's probably because of the pigmentation that is in the feathers of the green budgies which is not found in the blue budgies... It is possible though that a yellowface blue budgie MIGHT have a similar affect, though I wouldn't know as I don't have a yellowface blue... such as one that looks like this...


http://www.merribuck.com/JoeBlue2.jpg

I guess you could say that it's something like the difference between glow in the dark stickers, and normal stickers. Some chemical or something is used on the glow in the dark stickers to make them appear visible in the darkness... and it's because of this chemical that stores light that after the light is turned off, it emits it... And is not found in the normal stickers... I guess this is the only way I know how to describe it best... less I over-read something...

[Spinnergirl]

Hey I like the pictures Monica, interesting experiment!!

The pics turned out great esp the one with the 2 budgies, now that is a cool picture!!

[Monica]

I've got some information that's better than an article I had found... here it is!

http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/200...lowing_budgies

[caitlin]

that is way cool!