Anatomy of a Feather

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eXtension Anatomy of a Feather articles.extension.org/pages/65367/anatomy-of-a-feather Written by: Dr. Jacquie Jacob, University of Kentucky Birds come in different shapes and sizes, but one thing they have in common is feathers. Feathers are unique to birds; that is, everything that has feathers is a bird. Figure 1 shows feathers of various sizes, shapes, colors, and purposes on an adult male rooster. Fig. 1. Parts of an adult male rooster. Source: John Anderson, The Ohio State University. Feathers play three main roles in birds' lives: Feathers provide insulation, allowing birds to maintain their body temperatures in a wide variety of environmental conditions. Certain feathers are instrumental in allowing birds to fly. Because they come in different shapes and colors, feathers provide individual plumage that can serve to camouflage a bird or attract a mate. Figures 2 and 3 illustrate features of flight feathers, and Figure 4 shows a feather whose purpose is ornamentation. Fig. 2. Parts of a feather. Source: Jesse Lyons, University of Missouri. Fig. 3. Electron microscope image of part of a pheasant secondary flight feather. Flight feathers must be tough to withstand the rigors of flight. The barbs on a flight feather are strong and are connected to adjoining barbs of the same vane by the hooks on the barbules. Source: John Anderson, The Ohio State University. Fig. 4. Electron microscope image of part of a peacock eye feather. This feather is ornamental and not meant to withstand the forces a flight feather must endure. Spacing exists between the barbs, and the hooks do not hold the barbs together. The ridges on the barbs are part of the complex color-producing system present on peafowl. Source: The Ohio State University. .

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Magnificent Magpie Colours by Feathers with Layers of Hollow Melanosomes Doekele G
© 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd | Journal of Experimental Biology (2018) 221, jeb174656. doi:10.1242/jeb.174656 RESEARCH ARTICLE Magnificent magpie colours by feathers with layers of hollow melanosomes Doekele G. Stavenga1,*, Hein L. Leertouwer1 and Bodo D. Wilts2 ABSTRACT absorption coefficient throughout the visible wavelength range, The blue secondary and purple-to-green tail feathers of magpies are resulting in a higher refractive index (RI) than that of the structurally coloured owing to stacks of hollow, air-containing surrounding keratin. By arranging melanosomes in the feather melanosomes embedded in the keratin matrix of the barbules. barbules in more or less regular patterns with nanosized dimensions, We investigated the spectral and spatial reflection characteristics of vivid iridescent colours are created due to constructive interference the feathers by applying (micro)spectrophotometry and imaging in a restricted wavelength range (Durrer, 1977; Prum, 2006). scatterometry. To interpret the spectral data, we performed optical The melanosomes come in many different shapes and forms, and modelling, applying the finite-difference time domain (FDTD) method their spatial arrangement is similarly diverse (Prum, 2006). This has as well as an effective media approach, treating the melanosome been shown in impressive detail by Durrer (1977), who performed stacks as multi-layers with effective refractive indices dependent on extensive transmission electron microscopy of the feather barbules the component media. The differently coloured magpie feathers are of numerous bird species. He interpreted the observed structural realised by adjusting the melanosome size, with the diameter of the colours to be created by regularly ordered melanosome stacks acting melanosomes as well as their hollowness being the most sensitive as optical multi-layers.
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