CAROTENOIDS IN BIRD PLUMAGE - THE COMPLEMENT OF YELLOW AND RED PIGMENTS IN TRUE WOODPECKERS (PICINAE)

Woodpeckers typically have colorful, multipatterned plumages. To under stand the biochemical basis of the species-specificity of coloration i n woodpecker, the complement of carotenoids in the red and yellow feat hers of 13 species of true woodpeckers (Picinae) was determined. The p igments were extracted under mild conditions. The extracts were analyz ed by HPLC coupled with mass and UV-vis spectroscopy. The 4-oxo-carote noids (particularly astaxanthin and alpha-doradexanthin) were responsi ble for the red colors in these species. Picofulvins were the dominant carotenoids in the yellow feathers of some species. Unmodified lutein , zeaxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin were responsible for the yellow an d green colors in other species. Tentative molecular structures for th e three main picofulvins are proposed based on the results of spectros copy (W-vis, MS) and chemical tests. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc. Al l rights reserved.