Take a closer look

When birds move, their appearance can change due in part to the lengths of various feathers

David Allen Sibley

ONE OF THE challenges of understanding the color patterns of birds is that we only see the tips of their feathers, and feathers are flexible. This means that longer feathers on the body can move around a lot relative to their neighbors, and the color patterns formed by the tips of the feathers can change depending on where the feathers go. We see this a lot in the streaked patterns on the breast and flanks of many species. These feathers are particularly long and flexible, and the dark streaks on the tips of the feathers end up forming irregular wavy lines rather than consistent neat and even streaks. Shorter and stiffer feathers — for example, around the face and on the wings — move a lot less and form much…

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BirdWatching (Digital) - 1 Issue, January/February 2023

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