Melanin on Wingtips

Have you wondered why some birds have black wing tips? The dark colour on this Short-billed Gull’s (Larus brachyrhynchus) wing indicates a high concentration of the pigment melanin, which is a structurally robust pigment. The primary feathers—the long outermost feathers on a bird’s wing—play an important role in propelling the bird in flight. They are…