The kingfisher’s brilliant blue feathers were once used like paint to create works of art. The technique, known as tian-tsui, was popular during China’s Qing Dynasty. And because tian-tsui uses ...

The kingfisher's brilliant blue feathers were once used like paint to create works of art. The technique, known as tian-tsui, was popular during China's Qing Dynasty. And because tian-tsui uses ...

Azure kingfisher (Ceyx azureus). Image by By JJ Harrison, CC BY 3.0 Azure kingfisher (Ceyx azureus). Image by By JJ Harrison, CC BY 3.0 For more than a millennium, artists have used kingfishers’ ...

Once you've seen it, you'll never forget its shimmer. The iridescent blue is electric, a jolt of color only nature could perfect -- and it gives up its secret only on close inspection. Even at arm's ...

This decorative screen gets its color primarily from carefully cut and arranged feathers (inset indicated by red square on left). The kingfisher’s brilliant blue feathers were once used like paint to ...