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is/are the patches on a bird where feathers erupt from the
skin (pteryla) and the patches where NO feathers erupt from the skin
(apterium). Interestingly enough, passerines show a pattern that has
the feathers growing along the spine with large empty-of-feather patches
along the sides of the neck, shoulders, and scattered about about the
torso and wings. |
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| any of the feathers that cover the body of an adult bird, apart from the wings and tail, and determine its shape |
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| A quill or flight feather of a bird's wing |
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| Any of the comparatively large, stiff feathers of a bird's wing or tail that are necessary for flight |
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| In appearance, semiplumes fall between contour feathers and down feathers, combining a large rachis with downy vanes. Semiplumes are distinguished from down feathers in that the rachis is longer than the longest barbs. They fill in or smooth out the various contours of a bird's body while insulating it, and they also provide flexibility at constricted areas, such as the base of the wings. Semiplumes are usually hidden beneath the contour feathers and are small and often white. |
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Filoplume Bird Feathers
Filoplumes are always situated beside other feathers. They are simple, hairlike structures that grow in circles around the base of contour or down feathers. They usually stand up like hairs, and are made up of a thin rachis with a few short barbs of barbules at the tip. Filoplumes are generally smaller than semiplumes and are on half to three fourths of the length of the covering contour feathers.
The origins of filoplumes is currently under debate. Some ornithologists disagree with the theory that filoplumes are degenerate contour feathers and believe instead that they are sensitive structures that assist in the nerve endings in the follicle. It is therefore quite possible the filoplumes play a key role in keeping contours in place during preening, display, and flight. |
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Down and Powder Down Bird Feathers
Down feathers make up the underplumage of a bird. They are usually concealed beneath the contour feathers, and their main function appears to be insulation against the cold weather. Each down feather has a quill and a soft head of fluffy barbs, but there are no barbules and the barbs are not "zipped" together as they are in contour feathers. These feathers are especially numerous in ducks and other water birds. In some species of water birds the adults pluck down feathers from their beasts and use them to line the nest and keep the eggs warm. Chicks of some species are covered with down when they hatch.
Powder down feathers help insulate the bird. Unlike other feathers, powder downs grow continuously. Instead of being molted, their tips disintegrate into a powdery substance. These feathers grow in dense, yellowish patches on the breast, belly,or flanks of herons and bitterns. In other birds powder down feathers are more thinly scattered throughout the plumage. Many ornithologists believe that in water birds the powder serves to soak up water, blood, and slime, thus protecting the feathers and making preening easier. |
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Bristle Bird Feathers
Not all species of birds have bristle feathers. Bristles are specialized feathers that are believed to perform a tactile function. They have a stiff, tapered rachis and few, if any barbs that appear only at the base of the feather. Bristles are usually found on the head or neck, often around the mouth or eyelids. In some insect eaters, bristles found on the face and around the mouth are thought by ornithologists to act as funnels, helping the birds to scoop insects out of the air. Long facial bristles in owls, who tend to be farsighted, are thought to aid the bird in sensing nearby objects. Woodpeckers have bristle feathers over their nostrils, where it is thought that they act as a filter for the dust produced as they drill holes in trees. |
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| Ornithol any of the minute hairs that project from a barb and in some feathers interlock by hooks and grooves, forming a flat vane |
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| Ornithol any of the tracts of skin that bear contour feathers, arranged in lines along the body of a bird |
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| Naked spaces between the feathered areas of birds. |
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| To shed periodically part or all of a coat or an outer covering, such as feathers, cuticle, or skin, which is then replaced by a new growth. |
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| A contour feather of a bird, as distinguished from a down feather or a plume. |
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| Referring to the portion of a feather vane near the base that lacks hooklets and is loosely bound |
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