Feathers are a complex modification of hair, but they are truly amazing structures. If it wasn’t for feathers, would we have pens or aeroplanes?? Feather quills were the first writing instruments, before pens came along. And the study of feathers in flight has contributed to development of planes.
Birds have lots of different types of feathers, the main ones being:
- primary and secondary flight feathers, which are attached to the periosteum of metacarpals and phalanges, and ulna, respectively
- tail feathers
- contours, which are covering feathers all over the body
- down feathers (the really fluffy ones)
Birds regularly replace their feathers and grow new ones, a process known as moulting. This requires a lot of energy and protein. The new feathers that are still covered in their sheath are called “pin feathers”; they look like little plastic sticks. The feathers that are still growing have a rich blood supply and are called “blood feathers”. Moulting occurs once or twice a year, and takes about 6-8 weeks, but this depends on a number of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and species.
Photo by Janie Goodyer
