What is light and why is it so important?

In this fourth part of John Courteney-Smith’s series on light, he explains the importance of choosing the correct UV lamp in order to provide the correct amount of natural UV light depending on individual requirements

- John Courteney-Smith

Over the past three features in this current series, we have looked at the nature of FullSpectrum+UV-B lighting for birds, its history, use and effects upon the body, be that being derived from the sun, as an apex source, or through the clever replication of a modern specialist lamp. We have broken down the two terrestrial forms or ‘wavelength groups’ of ultra-violet, these being UV-A and UV-B and then looked at how each of these energy sources are used in nature.

We have looked at tetrachromacy, an incredible development within the eye of certain species of animal, which allows the ‘activation’ of full-colour vision in birds when exposed to UV-A, and then also at the almost miraculous interactions which lead to the UV to Vitamin D3 cycle. We then explored how both wavelength groups work together to supply for life and how that both groups alone, and when working in natural-balance are essential to the health and wellbeing of all birds/life.

We have also taken a brief look at some of the technology that can be utilised in order to replicate sunlight, how this can impact on caged birds and, indeed, we have looked at some of its limitations. We then looked at the importance of the natural mineral cycles and how essential earth minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, are both gleaned and then used by the body. For most of us, it is the relationship between vitamin D3 and mineral assimilation, storage and use, which is most important and most well known.