External Anatomy

Front 1

Culmen

Back 1

upper most central ridge of the upper mandible

Front 2

Culmen

Back 2

Front 3

Tomia

Back 3

cutting edges of both mandibles

Front 4

Nostrils

Back 4

open into a depression on the bill, generally

Front 5

gape

Back 5

line where the mandibles come together

Front 6

supercilium

Back 6

eye stripe

Front 7

auriculars

Back 7

cover the ear and are sometimes called an "ear patch"

Front 8

lore

Back 8

feathered area between the eye and upper mandible

Front 9

chin

Back 9

feathered area in the fork of the underside of the bill

Front 10

jugulum

Back 10

ventral part of the neck

Front 11

gular region

Back 11

area immediately posterior to the chin

Front 12

throat

Back 12

jugulum + gular region

Front 13

mantle

Back 13

#19

Front 14

rump

Back 14

#17

Front 15

vent

Back 15

#14

Front 16

breast

Back 16

#5

Front 17

abdomen

Back 17

#8

Front 18

flank

Back 18

sides of a bird's body between the edge of the wing and the legs or hips, framing the belly on each side

Front 19

flank

Back 19

Front 20

remiges

Back 20

flight feathers that has two groups

Front 21

primaries

Back 21

flight feathers that attach to the manus and are numbered from the innermost one outward

Front 22

secondaries

Back 22

flight feathers that attach to the ulna and are numbered from the outside in

Front 23

secondaries

Back 23

#4

Front 24

primaries

Back 24

#8

Front 25

scapulars

Back 25

on the dorsal surface, a group of feathers that arise forth shoulder and adjacent brachium

Front 26

scapulars

Back 26

#1

Front 27

axillars

Back 27

feathers on the ventral side of the wing in the "armpit"

Front 28

alula

Back 28

group of three feathers arising from the thumb

Front 29

axillars

Back 29

#2

Front 30

alula

Back 30

yellow

Front 31

scapulars

Back 31

brown

Front 32

coverts

Back 32

smaller feathers overlying the alula and remiges

Front 33

primary coverts

Back 33

red

Front 34

greater coverts

Back 34

purple

Front 35

lesser coverts

Back 35

green

Front 36

rectrices

Back 36

paired tailed feathers; flight feathers of the tail

Front 37

rectrices

Back 37

#15

Front 38

shaft or rachis

Back 38

mid-rid in a singular feather

Front 39

vanes

Back 39

#3 on both sides

Front 40

shaft or rachis

Back 40

#1

Front 41

calamus

Back 41

lower part of the shaft

Front 42

calamus

Back 42

#5

Front 43

inferior umbilicus

Back 43

an opening at the bottom of the calamus through which nutrients flowed to the feather during development

Front 44

inferior umbilicus

Back 44

Front 45

superior umbilicus

Back 45

near the base of the vane, another small opening from development where the vane arised

Front 46

aftershaft

Back 46

a shaft, sometimes with vanes, which appears near the superior umbilicus

Front 47

aftershaft

Back 47

#4

Front 48

barbs

Back 48

vanes are a series of these, extending laterally

Front 49

barbs

Back 49

Front 50

barbule

Back 50

B

Front 51

hooklet

Back 51

C

Front 52

contour feathers

Back 52

the outersmost feathers you see that are strong and stiff, providing color and shape

Front 53

down feathers

Back 53

small feathers with no rachis or one reduced in length with barbs that lack hooklets = very soft and fluffy

Front 54

semiplumes

Back 54

between feathers provide an additional layer of warmth, maintaining streamline shape; prominent rachis but barbules lack hooklets = no firm vane

Front 55

powder down

Back 55

never molt, grow continuously and disintegrate at the tips into a fine powder

Front 56

filoplumes

Back 56

primarily one rachis with no barbs or only a few; relatively stiff and hair-like; lie under the contour feathers

Front 57

bristles

Back 57

occur around the eyes or in the rictal region; stiff and tapered shaft

Front 58

tail

Back 58

A

Front 59

contour

Back 59

B

Front 60

Semiplume

Back 60

C

Front 61

Filoplume

Back 61

D

Front 62

bristle

Back 62

E

Front 63

down

Back 63

F

Front 64

apteria

Back 64

the spaces on the birds body without feather tracts

Front 65

pterylae

Back 65

linear tracts in which the feathers attach to the birds body

Front 66

melanins

Back 66

blacks, browns, red-browns, yellow-browns, and pale yellows; stronger and more resistant to wear

Front 67

carotenoids

Back 67

red, oranges, yellows; synthesized by plants

Front 68

porphyrins

Back 68

reds, browns, greens, and pinks;

Front 69

structural colors

Back 69

depend on the physical structure of the feather to reflect certain wavelengths light; blues and iridescence

Front 70

annual molt

Back 70

one complete molt of the year when non-nuptial or basic plumage is acquired and the wings and tailed are renewed

Front 71

basic plumage

Back 71

changed during the annual molt

Front 72

alternate plumage

Back 72

changed during the molt into nuptial feathers; involving mainly the head and body

Front 73

eclipse plumage

Back 73

acquired after nesting season is underway and retained for only a new months; only in some birds

Front 74

dichromatism

Back 74

when a bird has two color phases

Front 75

albinism

Back 75

a complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin due to an absence or defect in melanin

Front 76

leucism

Back 76

reduced pigmentation caused by a reduction in all types of pigment; not just melanin