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Red kite (Milvus milvus) in flight, showing remiges and rectrices. Flight feathers (Pennae volatus) [1] are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (/ ˈ r ɛ m ɪ dʒ iː z /), singular remex (/ ˈ r iː m ɛ k s /), while those on the tail are called rectrices (/ ˈ r ɛ k t r ...
Feather development occurs in the epidermal layer of the skin in birds.It is a complicated process involving many steps. Once the feathers are fully developed, there are six different types of feathers: contour, flight, down, filoplumes, semiplumes, and bristle feathers.
The remiges, or flight feathers of the wing, and rectrices, or flight feathers of the tail, are the most important feathers for flight. A typical vaned feather features a main shaft, called the rachis. Fused to the rachis are a series of branches, or barbs; the barbs themselves are also branched and form the barbules.
The skeleton of a bird wing. Places of attachment of various groups of flight feathers are indicated. The mute swan with outstretched wings Wing of the white-tailed eagle. Bird wings are a paired forelimb in birds. The wings give the birds the ability to fly, creating lift. Terrestrial flightless birds have reduced wings or none at all (for ...
The alula is the freely moving first digit, a bird's "thumb", and typically bears three to five small flight feathers, with the exact number depending on the species. There also are minor covert feathers overlying the flight feathers.
The calamus is hollow and has pith formed from the dry remains of the feather pulp, and the calamus opens below by an inferior umbilicus and above by a superior umbilicus. [2] The stalk above the calamus is a solid rachis having an umbilical groove on its underside. Pennaceous feathers have a rachis with vanes or vaxillum spreading to either side.
English: Diagram showing the stages of feather evolution as outlined by Xu & Gou 2009. Single filament; Multiple filaments joined at their base; Multiple filaments joined at their base to a central filament; Multiple filaments along the length of a central filament; Multiple filaments arising from the edge of a membranous structure
Also, covert feathers; tectrices – singular: tectrix. A layer of non-flight feathers overlaying and protecting the quills of flight feathers. At least one layer of covert feathers appear both above and beneath the flight feathers of the wings as well as above and below the rectrices of the tail. [116] These feathers may vary widely in size.