On the evening of April 26, 1972, the 61-year-old ornithologist climbed into the back seat of a detective’s car at Bangor ...

The Type I feathers are more similar to primitive feathers found in non-avian theropods – or three-toed dinosaurs – than modern birds, with slightly curved barbules and no hook-groove mechanism.

There is so much more to a feather than you can see with the naked eye. We suggest using low magnification to examine the differences in texture between the vane and the afterfeathers. Then ...

The preserved feathers give scientists a better idea of how early feathers looked. They didn’t have the stiff centre seen in modern bird feathers but had branching parts like barbs and barbules.

They also lacked a well-developed central shaft, which hints that the barbs and barbules of modern feathers – the two finest tiers of branching – evolved before the shaft.

A bird’s feathers consist of three main parts: The central shaft (or rachis), branching barbs, and tiny barbules that lock the barbs together.

Down feathers-These feather tends to be short and placed closest to the body, trapping body heat. Because these feathers lack pennaceous barbules, they are delicate, sensitive, and thin.

In the outer zone, the barbules are simply straight. Both parts lack the grooves and hooks that hold the flat vane of contour feathers together in most birds.

But in dry sandgrouse feathers, the inner zone of the feather has barbules that are helically coiled at their base that then straighten out. In the outer zone, the barbules are straight and much ...

Technology Engineering How a dumpy, short-legged bird could change water bottle designs The sandgrouse’s unique feathers can hold and transport fluids. By Charlotte Hu Published Apr 12, 2023 3: ...