What's in a blue jay feather? As it turns out, less color than you'd think. We asked an expert to explain why blue jay ...

Garrette Reece shows his design inspiration for a tattoo he planned to get, a blue jay feather, at Taku Tattoo’s International Suicide Survivor’s Day event on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019.

A frayed, faded flight feather from a blue jay tells a story. Kathy Adams Clark/KAC Productions Feather molt generally begins after songbirds, like this blue jay, have finished breeding.

It’s all about the pockets within the feather that absorb all the colors of light, except for blue. If you light a blue jay's feather from the back you can see there's no actual blue in the feather.