List of poultry feathers
![](../I/m/A_Silver_Wyandotte_Male%2C_Illustrating_the_terms_commonly_used_in_speaking_of_a_Chicken.jpg)
Feathers shown on this image from 1907 are:
- 8. Fluff
- 9. Saddle feathers
- 10. Sickles
- 11. Primaries
- 12. Scapulars
- 19. Tail coverts
Some terms used for the feathers of poultry are identical to those used for feathers of other birds, while others are specific to poultry. They include:[1][2]
Feather | Description | Image | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Beard | Feathers projecting below the beak | only in bearded breeds | |
Crest | Feathers projecting upwards from the head | only in crested breeds | |
Ear tufts | Feathers projecting from the ear | ||
Flight coverts | Short feathers covering the base of the primaries and secondaries | ||
Fluff | The soft feathers on the underside of the bird | ||
Lesser sickles | Long curved feathers of the tail, below the sickles | only in cock birds | |
Main tail feathers | The long straight feathers forming the tail, under the tail coverts | ||
Muff | Feathers projecting below and around the eyes | only in bearded breeds | |
Neck hackles | The long feathers of the neck | ||
Primary flights or primaries | The longest and outermost feathers of the wing | ||
Saddle feathers | Feathers covering the back or saddle before the tail coverts; in cocks they are long and pointed | divided into upper and lower saddles | |
Scapulars | Short feathers on the upper side of the wing near the body | ||
Secondaries | The long flight feathers of the inner part of the wing | ||
Sickles | The two longest curved feathers of the tail | only in cock birds | |
Tail coverts | Short feathers covering the base of the main tail feathers in cocks, and most of the tail in hens | ||
Vulture hocks | Stiff feathers projecting downwards behind the leg | only in some breeds | |
Wing bar | Short feathers covering the base of the secondaries and of the flight coverts | ||
Wing bow coverts | Short feathers covering the upper part of the wing between the scapulars and the wing bar | ||
See also
References
- ↑ Victoria Roberts (2009). British Poultry Standards, 6th edition. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 13–14. ISBN 9781444309386.
- ↑ Pam Percy (2006). The Field Guide to Chickens, 6th edition. St. Paul, MN: Voyageur Press. pp. 53–57. ISBN 9780760324738.