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Feather experiment
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About Feathers
Every one knows what a feather looks like to the naked
eye. The typical “flight feather” of most
birds has a couple of parts that are easy to identify.
At one end is the bare stem portion that ornithologists
(bird experts) call the calamus, or quill. This part of
the feather has had its greatest use by people as an ink
pen before fountain pens and ball point pens were invented.
Extending from the quill end of the feather is the “feathery”
part called the vane, or blade of the feather. This is
the part of the feather that allows birds to fly, and
is frequently colored with bright colors, or tonal patterns
that make different species of birds easy to identify.
For the birds, themselves, these colors and patterns also
help them to know whether another member of their species
is male or female, and also helps some male birds to distract
predators away from the less colorful female who may be
tending their nest. |
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