Pompadour Cotinga Extraordinarily Beautiful Bird You Might Not Have Heard About

These 6 pigments were found to be ring-substituted, methoxy carotenoids and were likely formed through chemical reactions of other dietary carotenoids. These species-specific carotenoids are significant in the study of Xipholena punicea because other species of birds are not known to use the same pathways for carotenoid construction that are used by the pompadour cotinga. Additionally, the complexity of the creation of these pigments allows for an added diversity in the carotenoid products themselves and further distinguishes X. punicea from other members of the genus.