The chemical structure of the pigments in Ara macao plumage

Abstract

Parrots (Psittaciformes) harbor unusually bright, non-carotenoid, feather pigments. We successfully extracted and purified a sufficient quantity of pigment from the red plumage of the Scarlet Macaw ( Ara macao) for a partial chemical analysis. The extracts were analyzed by HPLC coupled with UV–VIS and mass spectroscopy before and after total hydrogenation. We found at least four pigment components. We propose a linear polyenal structure comparable with the molecules tetradecahexenal, hexadecaheptenal, octadecaoctenal and eicosanonenal.