Types of Bird Feathers - Use Shape to Identify Feathers

Let's say you found a feather on the ground. Did you know you can identify WHERE on a bird it came from, just by looking at it? Let's learn how! Please subscribe to continue learning what makes life AWESOME: BioBush.tv/subscribe
In this video we talk about the seven types of feathers and show examples of each.
Flight - big, solid feathers that are very uneven around the central rachis
Tail - big, solid feathers that are more even around the central rachis
Contour - medium-sized curved feathers that cover the bird's body.
Semiplume - fluffy, insulating feather with a central rachis
Down - fluffy, insulating feather without a central rachis
Bristle - a central rachis with no barbs (like a bird whisker, but a feather)
Filoplume - a central rachis with a little tuft of barbs. Present on almost every part of every bird. Nobody knows what they do.
I hope this helps you next time you find a feather on the ground to get close, investigate, and make predictions. The more you practice, the better you will get at identifying feather types!
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Пікірлер: 117

  • @cryptid1925
    @cryptid19254 жыл бұрын

    I really appreciate the passion you have for birds and you make the topic seem so interesting. You have just helped me find a new area of interest: birds!

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    4 жыл бұрын

    I'm so glad you are learning new and interesting things, Kimaya! Birds were a surprise interest for me too - I actually studied Marine Biology with the intent of working with fish. But after working in an aviary and realizing I needed to know WAY more about birds it turns out that they are equally fascinating and different. We all have lots more to learn about birds. Thank you for watching!

  • @iloveanimals5494

    @iloveanimals5494

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@BioBush I invented a new game. It’s called “ Bird Guessing game”.

  • @iloveanimals5494

    @iloveanimals5494

    2 жыл бұрын

    0:20 what kind of bird is this?

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@iloveanimals5494 Sounds fun. How would you play?

  • @ashleypenn7845
    @ashleypenn784525 күн бұрын

    Perfect for our homeschool unit. Thanks for sharing!

  • @CSawyerRun
    @CSawyerRun3 жыл бұрын

    Very excited to have found your channel! We are studying flying animals in our Homeschool this year and your information and knowledge has really added to our lessons! Thank you!

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the kind words, C! It's a privilege to dig up information for motivated learners like you. There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thank you for watching!

  • @Ra_ve1
    @Ra_ve13 жыл бұрын

    I have seen this video a million times and still would watch it. I love learning about birds and your new video with the wildlife brothers was cool

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, Reshmi! I'm glad you find value in this video. There are so many interesting things to learn about animals. Thank you for watching!

  • @mamaboocee
    @mamaboocee2 жыл бұрын

    Awesome video! I love birds and am fascinated with the color and use of the feather! You have answered most of my feather questions! And those feathers you showed are just like beautiful gems!

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the kind words, and I'm glad you found this helpful. Feathers are incredible structures. Even with a billion dollars I don't think we could build a single feather, but birds do it by themselves every day. If you haven't learned about structural color yet, you would be very interested in structural color. There are several videos about it on this channel. Thanks for taking the time to learn about birds!

  • @aussiebirdgirlhunter9314
    @aussiebirdgirlhunter93149 ай бұрын

    Hey I just run into your channel I love it. I’m so obsessed with birds and feathers. I’ve loved bird since I could walk. Great video!

  • @gratefulpianist8640
    @gratefulpianist86403 жыл бұрын

    Underrated channel

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    3 жыл бұрын

    That's very kind of you, Greatful Pianist! Thank you for your support!

  • @luckyortiz4945

    @luckyortiz4945

    2 жыл бұрын

    Found a wing from a unfamiliar species help me to id

  • @Ecotasia
    @Ecotasia4 жыл бұрын

    Very well done. I love bristle feathers, they are really obvious once you know what to look fore and can really get close to a bird

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, John! Are bristle feathers common on birds? I was surprised in this research that filoplume feathers are on almost every part of almost every species. We're all learning new things about birds. Thanks for your support!

  • @Ecotasia

    @Ecotasia

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@BioBush well many species (primarily insectivores) have the "whisker" feathers, and then you have those amazing lashes on ostrich and hornbills

  • @tyrarichburg164
    @tyrarichburg1642 жыл бұрын

    AWESOME VIDEO. I FINALLY KNOW WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS BETWEEN THE VARIOUS FEATHERS WE WOULD PLAY WITH AND COLLECT AS A CHILD IN NYC..🥰

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hi Tyra! I'm glad you found this helpful! Thanks for taking the time to learn.

  • @reptoJane
    @reptoJane Жыл бұрын

    Such a great video. My students loved it. We are using feathers to develop our observation skills, and I wanted the kids to do some research on the topic. This was perfect in explaining the different types and showing them what to look for in order to ID. My students had nearly 100% correct identification after watching (and most could id left or right, too!). Thank you for creating and sharing--

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi Jane! I'm honored that you found this video helpful, and that your students could apply the knowledge. Thank you for helping your students learn about birds! :)

  • @rhiannamiller7817
    @rhiannamiller78173 жыл бұрын

    Great video! I am currently in vet technician school and we need to know all about the avian! This was very helpful to visually see the different types of feathers they have. Thank you!

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    3 жыл бұрын

    I'm glad this was helpful, Rhianna! There are so many things to learn about birds. Thank you for watching!

  • @strazzaplaza5241
    @strazzaplaza52413 жыл бұрын

    Hi! Thanks so much for this video! My almost 5yr old found a bird feather and this was so fun and educational for her. Also you have the most calming voice. You should do child education videos, it's refreshing.

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the kind words, Strazza Plaza! I'm glad you found it had educational merit. There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thank you for watching!

  • @donfallon2422
    @donfallon2422 Жыл бұрын

    Excellent descriptions, thank you for this very clear presentation

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you, Don! There are so many things to learn about birds. Thank you for watching!

  • @nature-treks.comhimalaya2255
    @nature-treks.comhimalaya2255 Жыл бұрын

    Great information about bird feathers, thanks BioBush

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi Nature Treks! There is so much out there to learn. Thanks for watching again this week!

  • @MyBirdingYear
    @MyBirdingYear4 жыл бұрын

    Really interesting and informative video, thank you! I will be practising my new feather identification skills next time I'm out for a walk :)

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, My Birding Year! I hope this helps introduce people to the idea that different feathers can be identified. They can go from here and find more resources to become master feather identifiers. But they might never have known without the introduction. I appreciate you watching and hope you find something new on your walk!

  • @gsxrman6319
    @gsxrman63194 жыл бұрын

    It's a total mystery to me way you don't get more views. You are awesome entertainment and educational.

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    4 жыл бұрын

    That's very kind of you to say, James! These videos tend to grow over time. I think of it like planting trees. Some grow fast, some grow slow, but the forest is getting bigger over time. I really appreciate your support!

  • @janefromcanada6943
    @janefromcanada69433 жыл бұрын

    Great video! Thanks for posting

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    3 жыл бұрын

    You're welcome, Jane! Thank you for the kind words and for taking time to learn about birds!

  • @sheri-.-
    @sheri-.- Жыл бұрын

    Loved the video man ❤️

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks, Syed! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thanks for watching!

  • @ShelbyOnSafari
    @ShelbyOnSafari4 жыл бұрын

    All the hype for this feather type video! Such a brilliant idea, thank you for sharing another great video 💚🤙 do you have a favourite feather from a particular species?

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the kind words, Shelby! For feathers I'm going with the red wing feathers from turacos. They have a unique pigment not found in any other bird. Its color derives from a copper-containing porphyrin. It's a very pretty color and I always like finding them. Do you have a favorite feather? Thanks for watching again!

  • @Ecotasia

    @Ecotasia

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@BioBush this may seem kind of cliche, but I love the wing feathers of the great Argus, they are really cool, because the "eyes" get larger as they go up, so that they look the same size from the perspective of a female during courtship. I guess the peacock's train has the same effect but that is multiple feathers, not just one. Edit: or I guess the tail feathers if the marvelous-spacultail

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@Ecotasia I help take care of a Great Argus Pheasant and did not know that fact. Thank you! The whole bird is covered in different areas of different artful feathers. Some are black spots on tan. Some are black swirls on brown. Plus those wing and tail feathers. It's a very pretty bird.

  • @honker3d
    @honker3d4 ай бұрын

    i am blown away. these guys have trees growing out of them that make them fly. the true three dimensional beings. I'm definitely watching more of these.

  • @goodkarmabirding
    @goodkarmabirding Жыл бұрын

    Great info! Thank you for this!

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    Жыл бұрын

    You're welcome, Good Karma Birding! There are so many things to learn about birds. Thanks for watching! PS - Keep up the good work on your channel!

  • @pramitlahiri1978
    @pramitlahiri19783 жыл бұрын

    Brilliant. This will help me for my practical.

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    3 жыл бұрын

    I'm glad you found this helpful, Pramit! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thank you for watching!

  • @sw___
    @sw___2 жыл бұрын

    I learned something new today! Thanks.

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    2 жыл бұрын

    You're welcome, Sue! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thanks for watching!

  • @abrahamcastillo8500
    @abrahamcastillo85002 жыл бұрын

    How do bird flight fathers stick together. Like each individual strand? Was my question, but you answered it haha thank you

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    2 жыл бұрын

    Happy to help, Abraham! :) That hook system between barbules is ingenious, because it lets a bird repair its feathers just by rubbing its beak on them. Feather repair is also one of the primary daily activities of birds. I appreciate you taking the time to learn about birds!

  • @jenniferreynolds1398
    @jenniferreynolds13982 жыл бұрын

    Dude so cool!!! Came here after picking up a giant feather.

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hi Jennifer! I'm glad you found this helpful. Is it a wing feather or a tail feather? Thanks for watching!

  • @jenniferreynolds1398

    @jenniferreynolds1398

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@BioBush wing! Bald eagle, found while trout fishing here in co!

  • @asmrcat6765
    @asmrcat67652 ай бұрын

    Thank you! ☺️

  • @ndey6947
    @ndey69472 жыл бұрын

    Very nice exact one I was looking for 👍

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    2 жыл бұрын

    Glad you found it helpful! Once you study anything closely enough it gets really surprising and interesting. Thank you for watching!

  • @taoprsn
    @taoprsnАй бұрын

    I love birds and this is very useful

  • @khshisingh2815
    @khshisingh28152 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, you made my day

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    2 жыл бұрын

    I'm glad you found it helpful! There is so much out there to learn about birds. Thank you for watching!

  • @queenslandbackyardbugsandb2761
    @queenslandbackyardbugsandb27614 жыл бұрын

    Today we talk about feathers. But a feather is a feather. Ph no it isn't, Steve you keep coming up with such interesting facts, I thought I had a basic knowledge of birds, but I know very little, compared to the knowledge you share with us. Don't stop sharing with us. I am going now to collect feathers. Thank you Steve.

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    4 жыл бұрын

    Haha, thank you so much, Kevin! We're all learning together. Maybe I need to do a better job of showing my amazement at learning new things for every video. And there is so much more to learn - there are around 200 topic ideas in the pool for future videos. We will all learn a lot over the next few years. Thanks for your support on this journey!

  • @helenamaria710
    @helenamaria710 Жыл бұрын

    Great - thank you! 🙏

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    Жыл бұрын

    You're welcome, Helena! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thanks for watching!

  • @johnthomas5806
    @johnthomas58065 ай бұрын

    thanks, now to use this information when learning to tye jigs...

  • @sarahcarrizales9759
    @sarahcarrizales9759 Жыл бұрын

    Birds are my favorite animal. Feeaaaatherrrrrrs!!!!!! I got here by looking up feathers just because I like feathers.

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi Sarah! That's awesome, and you are definitely welcome on this channel. Thanks for watching!

  • @sarahcarrizales9759

    @sarahcarrizales9759

    Жыл бұрын

    @@BioBush lol even you replying to me makes me happy as I get to see those feathers spread out again in that thumbnail. Birds are so underappreciated by many.

  • @andrewkinsey8754
    @andrewkinsey8754 Жыл бұрын

    That was really interesting

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    Жыл бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it, Andrew! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thanks for watching!

  • @Hezekiah-dj3bm
    @Hezekiah-dj3bm11 ай бұрын

    I was glad to help, birds are facstinatingly wonderful creachers , And I love them!!!!!hm Jr.

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    11 ай бұрын

    There is so much out there to learn. Thanks for watching, Hezekiah!

  • @nashimn9805
    @nashimn98054 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much universe

  • @clydoscope5841
    @clydoscope5841 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you! I really love birdssss

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    Жыл бұрын

    You are welcome here, Clydoscope! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thanks for watching!

  • @clydoscope5841

    @clydoscope5841

    Жыл бұрын

    @@BioBush thanks, I am really facinated by birds, especially their flying patterns

  • @rhondizzy7302
    @rhondizzy73023 жыл бұрын

    Cool thanks man

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    3 жыл бұрын

    You're welcome, Ron! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thanks for watching!

  • @user-hh9xc8ut3d
    @user-hh9xc8ut3d Жыл бұрын

    Be wonderful if we could 3d print a feather with that level of detail.

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    Жыл бұрын

    I don't know if we'll ever be able to replicate a feather fully. It would take a 3D printer that could make objects on a microscopic scale, and it would still have different properties than a common feather (probably very brittle). But yes, an excellent goal for 3D printing, because if you can print a feather you can print almost anything. Thanks for watching, Andrew!

  • @keyurbelsare8928
    @keyurbelsare89284 жыл бұрын

    Nice video 👌😇

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, Keyur! Always nice to hear from you!

  • @arezhogr
    @arezhogr6 ай бұрын

    I’m from kurdistan and i really want that subject thank u so much🩷🩷

  • @Kashie23
    @Kashie23 Жыл бұрын

    Thankue

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    Жыл бұрын

    You're welcome, Kashin! There are so many interesting things to learn about birds. Thanks for watching!

  • @lushantgurung1156
    @lushantgurung11562 жыл бұрын

    This is so helpful I have to make a report about types of feathers but I don't know how to detect and find a filoplume feathers can you help me ?

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hi Lushant! If you're trying to find one of each feather, that's a pretty cool idea for a report. From what I have read, they are small and located on almost every part of almost every bird. They would be located at the base of each feather. There's a diagram here: www.allaboutbirds.org/news/the-most-mysterious-feather-filoplumes/ I have worked with birds for years and have never seen a filoplume (nor have I looked very closely). The odds of finding a filoplume after molting are basically zero.

  • @kihembojenipher1764
    @kihembojenipher1764 Жыл бұрын

    Yes

  • @Soviless99
    @Soviless99 Жыл бұрын

    im watching this for preparing fletches for arrows ;)

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    Жыл бұрын

    That's so cool! Which feathers are fletches made from? I would guess tail feathers because they are more symmetrical, but would be happy to learn anything you have to say on the subject. Thanks for watching!

  • @Soviless99

    @Soviless99

    Жыл бұрын

    @@BioBush wing feathers and tail feathers. ideally large birds. geese, turkeys, vultures etc. but ive made some very beautiful and quiet flying arrows from asian chicken wing feathers i got online. :)

  • @mixorikhotso9367
    @mixorikhotso9367 Жыл бұрын

    Sounds interesting, what is the density of the chicken feather?

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi Mixo! That's an interesting question, because it's hard to measure the volume. The material is just keratin, like hair or fingernails, but with more air added. The amount of air varies wildly by the type of feather. There are some commercial standards. For mountain climbing gear, goose down is still the best insulator, and is measured as "the number of cubic inches filled by one ounce of material". The fanciest goose down will fill 900 cubic inches with one ounce. Converting to imperial units gives a density of 0.0019 grams per cubic centimeter. Every chicken feather is going to be more dense than that, but I'm not finding specific numbers right away. I'll research more, but hopefully this answer is helpful. Thanks for watching!

  • @matthiasjagdm3949
    @matthiasjagdm39493 жыл бұрын

    How big should tail feathers be in comparison to the size of the bird?

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    3 жыл бұрын

    Hi Matthias! There is an enormous diversity of sizes. The Widowbird male has a tail 8x the length of the body. Pheasant and Peacock tails are long, but they can fly. Macaw tails are about 1x body length. Then there's all the normal length tails down to the Needle-tail Swift which basically has no tail. I don't think there's a wrong answer if you're copying a real bird. My feeling is that "normal" tails are around 1/3 body length (eg. House Sparrow). Good questions!

  • @hajarasalih3415
    @hajarasalih34153 жыл бұрын

    👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, Hajara! There are lots of interesting things to learn about birds. Thank you for watching!

  • @hajarasalih3415

    @hajarasalih3415

    3 жыл бұрын

    No need , i am studen in university reading this science...

  • @vishakapatel4469
    @vishakapatel44693 жыл бұрын

    👍

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, Vishaka! I appreciate you watching.

  • @matthiasjagdm3949
    @matthiasjagdm39493 жыл бұрын

    I have feathers which is almost the shape of 🎳 bowling pins ...what on earth is those used for?

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    3 жыл бұрын

    Hi Matthias! Do you have a guess what type of bird it's from? From what I've read, all feathers like that would be for display. Feathers gain aerodynamic power as long as they stretch out in an unbroken triangle (triangle can be formed with other feathers as long as it's a solid triangle). Birds like the Motmot and Marvelous Spatuletail use similar feathers for display purposes. Good question, and thanks for watching!

  • @matthiasjagdm3949

    @matthiasjagdm3949

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@BioBush some kind of duck or goose i guess

  • @syedshabbarraza6384
    @syedshabbarraza638411 ай бұрын

    Praise to the creator ❤

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    11 ай бұрын

    Isn't it amazing how many little miracles are in the world for us to discover? There is so much out there to learn. Thanks for watching, Syed!

  • @syedshabbarraza6384

    @syedshabbarraza6384

    11 ай бұрын

    @@BioBush you are right 👍

  • @amankrusch5318
    @amankrusch5318 Жыл бұрын

    Do you have an Facebook id...... Pls let me know

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi Aman! Yes, Facbook.com/BioBush. Thanks for watching!

  • @sonicyears
    @sonicyears11 ай бұрын

    My dreams to fly Buy get a actual do it and to make a bird shop Where I build different types of wings Put different occasions and then all can fly Eagle wings are the biggest of them all not the Wingspan with the biggest of them all 21'Seagull Wings are a little bit longer Therefore the beach And the gracefully for flying Owl wings graceful flying too. And I cannot turn or actually fly without a tail feather Seagull a little bit short too

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    11 ай бұрын

    That's such a cool dream! I think bird-inspired wings, plus a powered frame, might actually be possible in the next 50 years. People have been trying this idea for hundreds of years, but our materials, on-board computers, simulations, and power sources are closer than ever to making that dream a reality. I hope you're the one that does it. Thank you for watching!

  • @Cinderblock656
    @Cinderblock656 Жыл бұрын

    i have a lot of feathers 😅

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    Жыл бұрын

    That's fun, Haylee! I hope you learned more about identifying them. Thanks for watching!

  • @rlowle1228
    @rlowle12284 жыл бұрын

    To bad picking up a feather is a federal offense.

  • @BioBush

    @BioBush

    4 жыл бұрын

    That may be true of native species under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It sounds restrictive, but that law has saved countless individual birds and probably several species over the last 100 years. Fortunately, identifying/photographing a feather is legal! Thanks for watching, R lowle! PS - The feathers pictured were all picked up from the ground, belonging to non-native species living in aviaries.

  • @rlowle1228

    @rlowle1228

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@BioBush But what average joe knows what feather goes with what bird. Why doesn't that Gov't only fine the hat makers that are killing birds for adornment. Im all for protecting all animals my state has put a bounty on coyotes. The governor got paid off by the gun lobby to kill them all. So picking up a molted feather from any bird seems like a reward from the gods.

  • @maryrosekent8223

    @maryrosekent8223

    3 жыл бұрын

    R lowle The reason it’s illegal for people to own feathers, skulls, or other parts of native North American birds is because you can’t prove you didn’t kill the bird in order to attain said bird part. Another reason why it’s a bad plan in general is because of bird mites; if you unintentionally introduce bird mites into your environment, good luck getting them to ever go away. They will not only eat through all bird-associated items you have, they will also eat any rattan furniture you may have and they can cause allergic reactions among your friends and family.