Editing Weather vane (section)

{{Short description|Meteorological instrumentation used for showing the direction of the wind}}
{{Redirect|Weathercock|what is commonly referred to as a "weathercock" in the U.S. and Canada|Windpump}}
{{for|similar terms|Weathervanes (disambiguation){{!}}Weathervanes}}
{{wikt | weather vane}}

A '''wind vane''', '''weather vane''', or '''weathercock''' is an [[list of weather instruments|instrument]] used for showing the [[wind direction|direction]] of the [[wind]]. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the [[Old English]] word {{lang|ang|fana}}, meaning "flag".
[[File:Wind vane 05643.jpg|thumb|A cockerel is a traditional figure used as a vane  placed on top of the cardinal directions.]]
Although partly functional, wind vanes are generally decorative, often featuring the traditional [[chicken|cockerel]] design with letters indicating the [[points of the compass]]. Other common motifs include ships, arrows, and horses. Not all wind vanes have pointers. In a sufficiently strong wind, the head of the arrow or cockerel (or equivalent) will indicate the direction from which the wind is blowing.

Wind vanes are also found on small [[wind turbines]] to keep the wind turbine pointing into the wind.