as well as explore the different types of bird wings and flight feathers you might spot on the visitors at your feeders and in your trees. Psst — you won’t believe how quickly a hummingbird ...

"Fossil feathers are usually preserved in ancient mudrocks laid down in lakes or lagoons. The fossil vulture is preserved in ash deposits, which is extremely unusual," study lead author Valentina ...

But a bird wing is vastly more sophisticated than anything composed of sheet metal and rivets. From a central feather shaft extends a series of slender barbs, each sprouting smaller barbules ...

The long-eared owl, Asio otus, is a majestic raptor known for its perky horn-like ear tufts, and cryptic herringbone markings ...

But there's more to bird flight than strong wings and hollow bones. One secret lies in their covert feathers—layers of small feathers that cover the wing’s base and shift during tricky ...

Male mandarins have colorful “sails” on each wing. Feathers: Displays of Brilliant Plumage by Robert Clark, published by Chronicle Books 2016 This tail feather comes from a male red bird of ...

These small feathers on top of birds’ wings lay flat during normal flight but flare up in turbulence during landing. By attaching flexible plastic strips – “covert flaps” – to the top of ...

and they are covered in feathers that narrow to a point. Airplane wings are modeled after bird wings. The bones and muscles of the wing are also highly specialized. The main bone, the humerus ...

A government repository in Colorado that provides dead eagles and their parts for free to tribal members keeps up with orders for individual feathers, such as for graduates. Yet it’s unable to meet ...

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 prohibits possessing native North American bird feathers without a permit. The law, punishable by fines and imprisonment, aims to prevent the killing and ...