There are two sources of feather colour - pigments and the physical structure of the feather. Many feathers are coloured by a combination of these features.
Pigments are chemical compounds that absorb certain wavelengths of light while reflecting others. The colours you see are those reflected back. Feathers coloured by pigments range from crow black to canary yellow and cardinal red. Cardinal feathers stay red when you crush them or dunk them in water.
Many colours, such as blue, are a result of feather structure. When light hits these feathers, its hits microscopic structures on the feather that act as prisms to reflect a colour. No blue pigment is known in birds. If you crush a blue Scrub Jay feather or dunk it in water it will appear gray.
Shimmering iridescent colours such as those found in hummingbirds and peacocks are caused by special structures air bubbles, or film on feather surfaces. These modifications interfere with the bending and scattering of light to strengthen some wave lengths and cancel out others.
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