Editing Feather (section)

{{short description|Body-covering structure of birds}}
{{Other uses}}
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{{pp-semi|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
[[File:Types de plumes. - Larousse pour tous, -1907-1910-.jpg|thumb|Feather variations]]

'''Feathers''' are [[epidermis (zoology)|epidermal]] growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or [[plumage]], on both [[Bird|avian]] (bird) and some non-avian [[dinosaur]]s and other [[archosaur]]s. They are the most complex [[integumentary]] structures found in [[vertebrate]]s<ref name=Prum2002>{{Cite journal|author1=[[Richard Prum|Prum, Richard O]]. |author2=AH Brush |year=2002|title=The evolutionary origin and diversification of feathers|journal=[[The Quarterly Review of Biology]]|volume=77|issue=3|url=http://www.yale.edu/eeb/prum/pdf/Prum_n_Brush_2002.pdf|pages=261–295|doi=10.1086/341993|pmid=12365352|s2cid=6344830|access-date=7 July 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629175850/http://www.yale.edu/eeb/prum/pdf/Prum_n_Brush_2002.pdf|archive-date=29 June 2011}}</ref><ref name="Prum2003">{{Cite journal |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0303-84 |date=March 2003 |author1=Prum, R.O. |author2=Brush, A.H |name-list-style=amp |title=Which Came First, the Feather or the Bird? |journal=[[Scientific American]] |volume=288 |issue=3 |pages=84–93 |doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |url=http://www.yale.edu/eeb/prum/pdf/Prum_n_Brush_2003.pdf |access-date=7 July 2010 |pmid=12616863 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629175910/http://www.yale.edu/eeb/prum/pdf/Prum_n_Brush_2003.pdf |archive-date=29 June 2011 |bibcode=2003SciAm.288c..84P }}</ref> and an example of a complex evolutionary novelty.<ref name=Prum1999>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1002/(SICI)1097-010X(19991215)285:4<291::AID-JEZ1>3.0.CO;2-9 |year=1999 |author=Prum, Richard O |title=Development and Evolutionary Origin of Feathers |journal=Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution |volume=285 |issue=4 |pages=291–306 |pmid=10578107 |bibcode=1999JEZ...285..291P |url=http://www.ncsce.org/PDF_files/feathers/Prum%20feather.pdf |access-date=7 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110409103417/http://ncsce.org/PDF_files/feathers/Prum%20feather.pdf |archive-date=9 April 2011 }}</ref> They are among the characteristics that distinguish the extant [[Aves|birds]] from other living groups.<ref name="iridescence">{{cite journal |last=Li |first=Quanguo |s2cid=206537426 |title=Reconstruction of ''Microraptor'' and the Evolution of Iridescent Plumage |journal=Science |volume=335 |issue=6073 |pages=1215–1219 |date=9 March 2012 |doi=10.1126/science.1213780 |pmid=22403389 |bibcode=2012Sci...335.1215L}}</ref>

Although feathers cover most of the bird's body, they arise only from certain well-defined tracts on the skin. They aid in flight, thermal insulation, and waterproofing. In addition, coloration helps in communication and [[crypsis|protection]].<ref name=pettingill>{{Cite book|author=Pettingill, OS Jr.|year=1970|title=Ornithology in Laboratory and Field. Fourth edition|publisher=Burgess Publishing Company|isbn=0-8087-1609-3|pages=[https://archive.org/details/ornithologyinlab0000pett/page/29 29–58]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/ornithologyinlab0000pett/page/29}}</ref> The study of feathers is called '''plumology''' (or '''plumage science''').<ref name=GalaPlum>{{cite web|title=Galapagos plumology|url=http://www.darwinfoundation.org/datazone/galapagos-research/article/galapagos-plumology/|website=darwinfoundation.org|publisher=Charles Darwin Collections Database by the Charles Darwin Foundation|access-date=24 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317093057/http://www.darwinfoundation.org/datazone/media/pdf/59/NG_59_1998_Harpp%26Geist_Galapagos_plumology.pdf|archive-date=17 March 2016}}</ref><ref name=LangsFWPlumology>{{cite book|last1=Eichhorn|first1=hrsg. von Manfred|title=Langenscheidt Fachwörterbuch Biologie Englisch: englisch – deutsch, deutsch – englisch|date=2005|publisher=Langenscheidt|location=Berlin [u.a.]|isbn=3-86117-228-3|page=537|edition=1. Aufl.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KRJfNmHhIpUC&q=Plumology&pg=PA537|access-date=24 April 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217235721/https://books.google.com/books?id=KRJfNmHhIpUC&pg=PA537&lpg=PA537&dq=Plumology&source=bl&ots=2pOkPvbmtz&sig=k-Z7u5Kx289CH0jH_iE9y77oWpE&hl=de&sa=X&ei=dP05VducMMjcaK6WgeAB&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Plumology&f=false|archive-date=17 December 2017}}</ref>

People use feathers in many ways that are practical, cultural, and religious. Feathers are both soft and excellent at trapping [[heat]]; thus, they are sometimes used in high-class [[bedding]], especially [[pillow]]s, [[blanket]]s, and [[mattress]]es. They are also used as filling for winter [[clothing]] and outdoor bedding, such as quilted [[Coat (clothing)|coats]] and [[sleeping bag]]s. [[Goose]] and [[eider]] [[Down feather|down]] have great ''loft'', the ability to expand from a compressed, stored state to trap large amounts of compartmentalized, insulating air.<ref>{{Cite journal|journal=Journal of Materials Science Letters|title=The structural mechanical properties of down feathers and biomimicking natural insulation materials|volume=18|issue=21|pages=1769–1770|year=1999|author1=Bonser, R.H.C.  |author2=Dawson, C.|doi=10.1023/A:1006631328233|s2cid=135061282}}</ref> Feathers of large birds (most often [[Goose|geese]]) have been and are used to make [[quill]] pens. Historically, the [[plume hunting|hunting of birds for decorative and ornamental feathers]] has endangered some species and helped to contribute to the extinction of others.<ref name="Missouri">{{cite web |url=http://tam.missouri.edu/MHCTC/exhibit_origins_feather.html |title=Feathers: Endangered – Fauna and Fashion |date=20 September 2018 |first1=Nicole |last1=Johnston |first2=Jean |last2=Parsons |name-list-style=amp |publisher=[[University of Missouri]]'s Historic Costume and Textiles Collection}}</ref> Today, feathers used in fashion and in military headdresses and clothes are obtained as a waste product of poultry farming, including [[chicken]]s, [[goose|geese]], [[Turkey (bird)|turkeys]], [[pheasant]]s, and [[ostrich]]es. These feathers are dyed and manipulated to enhance their appearance, as poultry feathers are naturally often dull in appearance compared to the feathers of wild birds.