Incredibly rare photos show a blue tit’s wings acting like a stained-glass window to create a rainbow effect as sunlight shines on its feathers.
Only a few people worldwide have ever captured similarly intricate shots, which show early morning sunlight beaming through the bird’s plumage.
Wildlife photographer Andrew Fusek Peters, 58, captured the unique scene while snapping birds in his garden in Shropshire, in the West Midlands of England. He also captured green finches, a long-tailed tit, and a robin over a week-long period.
The phenomenon occurs when sunlight refracts off the barbules in the birds’ feathers, creating a beautiful rainbow effect.
Mr. Peters said he only had a 10-minute window to achieve his perfect shot each morning while waiting in a makeshift hide in his kitchen.
“This is something ultra-rare. There’s two photographers in the states who have done it, it’s literally less than five people in the world,” he said. “They’re common garden birds, and I’ve turned them into rainbows, it’s extraordinary.
“It’s the light hitting the feathers and splitting off into different sections, it’s from the low winter sunlight.
“It’s refracting on different layers of feathers and hairs. ... The effect is the same as stained glass when sunlight comes through the panes. It’s specifically to do with the angle of the sun and the light. The bird has taken the light and split it.
“I’ve found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I think it’s the miracle in my backyard, what you can find there is amazing.”
