plumage
(Science: zoology) The entire clothing of a bird.
It consist of the contour feathers, or the ordinary feathers covering the head, neck, and body; the tail feathers, with their upper and lower coverts; the wing feathers, including primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, with their coverts; and the down which lies beneath the contour feathers.
Origin: F, from plume a feather.
Meet the colorful takahē, an extremely rare flightless bird. Find out more about its unique features and why they matter (adaptation). You'll also learn what a genetic bottleneck is, and how genetic bottlenecks affect conservation...
Meet some of New Zealand's unique fauna, including endemic insects, frogs, reptiles, birds, and mammals, and investigate why many have such distinctive features. You'll also find out about why there are so few native mammals and the impact of introduced pests on the unique natural ecosystems...
