File:Types_de_plumes._-_Larousse_pour_tous,_-1907-1910-.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ81025· pop 114· linked from 1,364 articles

feather

Also known as bird feather, feathers, plumage

thumb|Feather variations

AI overview

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Research

12,820 papers

Feather function and the evolution of birds.ReviewBiological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2023Terrill RS, Shultz AJDOI: 10.1111/brv.12918
Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms in Chicken Feather Follicle Morphogenesis.ReviewGenes · 2023Ji G, Zhang M, Tu Y et al.DOI: 10.3390/genes14081646
The feather's multi-functional structure across nano to macro scales inspires hierarchical design.ReviewJournal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2025Hendrickx-Rodriguez S, Lentink DDOI: 10.1098/rsif.2024.0776
Bioinspired avian feather designs.Materials science & engineering. C, Materials for biological applications · 2019Sullivan TN, Hung TT, Velasco-Hogan A et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2019.110066
The biology of feather follicles.ReviewThe International journal of developmental biology · 2004Yu M, Yue Z, Wu P et al.DOI: 10.1387/ijdb.031776my
Molecular signaling in feather morphogenesis.ReviewCurrent opinion in cell biology · 2006Lin CM, Jiang TX, Widelitz RB et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.ceb.2006.10.009
Valorization of feather waste in Brazil: structure, methods of extraction, and applications of feather keratin.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2023de Q Souza GE, Burin GRM, de Muniz GIB et al.DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-25788-x
Earliest evidence of avian primary feather moult.Biology letters · 2024Wang X, O'Connor J, Zheng X et al.DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2024.0106

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Wikidata facts

Image: Pluma de un cuervo grande (Corvus corax), Hartelholz, Múnich, Alemania, 2020-06-20, DD 30-37 FS.jpg

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Commons category: Feathers
Commons gallery: Feather
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Sources (4)

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~41 min read

Article

24 sections

Contents

Etymology
Structures and characteristics
Classification
Functions
Distribution
Coloration
Feathers used in mating displays
Structure and use
Tail Length
Origin of ornamental feathers
Parasites
Human usage
Utilitarian
In religion and culture
Evolution
Functional considerations
Molecular evolution
Feathered dinosaurs
Evolutionary stages
In pterosaurs
See also
References
Further reading
External links

thumb|Feather variations

Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and an example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They are among the characteristics that distinguish the extant birds from other living groups.