flight feather

noun

: one of the quills of a bird's wing or tail that support it in flight compare contour feather

Examples of flight feather in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Flamingos are distinguished by their pink-colored plumage and black flight feathers on their wings, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. David Chiu, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2023 However, trimming flamingos flight feathers is considered by many to be inhumane, according to the American Bird Conservancy. Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2023 The reason some may believe flamingos cannot fly is because flamingos in zoos often have their flight feathers trimmed. Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2023 Unlike flight feathers, these have a very short stem. Joseph Albanese, Outdoor Life, 26 May 2020 In modern birds, barbicels are the structures that allow flight feathers to retain their shape as birds flap their wings. Rachel Fritts, Ars Technica, 15 Jan. 2020 And now engineers are turning to the species for research by adding pigeon flight feathers to an airborne robot. Rob Verger, Popular Science, 16 Jan. 2020 The paper describes what is potentially the earliest evidence of a flight feather, and the first-ever non-avian dinosaur feathers found within the Antarctic Circle. Rachel Fritts, Ars Technica, 15 Jan. 2020 The fossils include downy feathers for insulation, a fluffy protofeather that most likely belonged to a nonavian dinosaur, and one complex flight feather like those on the wings of modern birds. John Pickrell, National Geographic, 18 Nov. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flight feather.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1735, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flight feather was in 1735

Dictionary Entries Near flight feather

Cite this Entry

“Flight feather.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flight%20feather. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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