Tamatha Barbeau, Ph.D.

Professor of Biology

Francis Marion University

Bird feathers

This page is just for help in learning about birds.
Use your cursor to scroll over each image to learn the parts of a bird, feathers, feet and other things.

Parts of a feather:

Vane = flat surface off shaft (rachis) containing barbs and barbules
Calamus = hollow bottom of shaft (no vane)
Rachis = shaft above calamus that supports vane
Pennaceous part
Plumulaceous part

Barbs are part of feather that comes off of the rachis
Barbules
PlumulaceousPlumulaceousPennaeousPennaceous
Microscopic parts of feather:

Barbs = parallel fibers on each side of rachis
Barbules = branches off of barbs that hook together
Barbicels (or hooks) that hook onto barbules
RachisBarbBarbBarbBarbulesBarbulesBarbicels (hooks)Barbicels (hooks)Barb
 

Types of bird feathers:
Pennaceous (found in flight and tail feathers)
Semiplume (part pennaceous and plumulaceous)
Contour
Down
Bristle

The numbers next to the feathers match with where they are found on a bird.

Try this mnemonic to remember them!
Peregrins Sometimes Crash Down For Brunch

Scroll over images to learn parts of a feather or feather types.

Pennaceous (tail feather) Has barbs, barbules, and barbicels (hooks) Semiplume (half pennaceous - no barbicels or hooks, half plumulaceous), rachis longer than barbs)Down (rachis short, all plumulaceous)Filoplume (long bare rachis with tip of barbs)Bristle (stiff rachis, no barbs)Contour (part pennaceous with barbs, barbules, and hooks, part plumulaceous). Rachis longer than longest barb)Pennaceous (wing) Has barbs, barbules, and barbicels (hooks)
 
Scroll over to name feathers on bird:
Primaries (remiges)Secondaries (remiges)Primaries (remiges)AlulaAlulaSecondaries (remiges)Tail feathers (retrices)Upper tail covertsRump
 
Numbering bird wing and tail feathers:
Primaries (remiges)Secondaries (remiges)Tail feathers (retrices)

 

Upper mandibleLower mandibleChinThroatLoresMalarAuricularsEye lineOrbital ring feathers around eye)SuperciliumCrown stripeMedian crown stripeForeheadNapeChinLoreseye lineSupercilum (has supercilary stripe)Median crown stripeCrownThroatMalarChestBellyRumpNapeUpper tail covertsTailPrimaries covertsforeheadbackauriculars


Median crown (stripe)crown (this bird has a crown stripe)supercilum (this bird has a supercilium stripe)loreseyelineauricularsnapechinthroatmalar (this bird has 2 malar strips)foreheadupper mandiblelower mandibleside of neckbellybreastthighsthighstailundertail covertsupper tail covertsrumpbackprimaries (flight feathers)coverts (this image doesn't delineate greater, lesser coverts)orbital eye ringscapularsflankside


primaries (attached to carpo-metacarpal bones)tertialshumerus (bone)ulna (bone)radius (bone)greater primary covertsmiddle covertsalula (attached to digit 1)marginal covertscarpometacarpusLesser coverts