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down feather

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Also known as down

soft, fine feather, sometimes under larger feathers

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Daune down feather.jpg
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Down (feathers)
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Down feathers lack the interlocking barbules of pennaceous feathers, making them very soft and fluffy. The down of birds is a layer of fine feathers found under the tougher exterior feathers. Very young birds are clad only in down. Powder down is a specialized type of down found only in a few groups of birds. Down is a fine thermal insulator and padding, used in goods such as jackets, bedding (duvets and featherbeds), pillows and sleeping bags. The discovery of feathers trapped in ancient amber suggests that some species of non-avian dinosaur likely possessed down-like feathers.

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