Jul 2, 2010 · Each barb is a feather within a feather with a little shaft and little barbs of its own called barbules. When viewed as a whole the barbs are the vane. Barbules (too tiny to show …

Short simple feathers with few barbs, filoplumes function like mammal whiskers to sense the position of the contour feathers. Bristles are the simplest feathers, with a stiff rachis that …

Bird feathers are one of the most distinctive features of avian anatomy. Feathers are fundamental to many aspects of a bird’s existence. They provide insulation essential for controlling body …

Nov 12, 2020 · The microscopic structure of the barbs and barbules in contour feathers gives them their water repellent property . Tiny air spaces between barbs cause water to form …

Feb 10, 2024 · Feathers are made up of a central shaft called a rachis. Thin structures called barbs extend out from the rachis, forming the vane of the feather. The barbs have even …

Mar 7, 2025 · Barb: an individual strand of feather material (keratin), extending laterally from the rachis. Barbule: a lateral branch of a feather barb. Calamus: the hollow inner portion of the …

Nov 1, 2024 · At the base of the feathers, there are often barbs that are not hooked together. These are called downy barbs. Feathers with barbules and hooklets are termed "pennaceous," …

…into the structures known as barbs, which occur in the feathers of living birds. Although microscopic evidence from fossil forms is scant, at some point the barbs evolved barbules, the …

feather, the component structure of the outer covering and flight surfaces of all modern birds. Unique to birds, feathers apparently evolved from the scales of birds’ reptilian ancestors. The …

At the bottom are plumulaceous barbs, barbs without interlocking barbules, forming a loose fluffy layer at the base of a contour feather; or making up the entirety of a down feather. Contour …