contour feather

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noun Ornithology.

one of the feathers that form the surface plumage of a bird, including those of the wings and tail but excluding such specialized types as downs and filoplumes.

Origin of contour feather

First recorded in 1865–70

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for contour feather

penna, plumule

British Dictionary definitions for contour feather

contour feather

noun

any of the feathers that cover the body of an adult bird, apart from the wings and tail, and determine its shape

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012