Ornithologist Carla Dove explains how the microscopic structure of a bird's feather can help identify the species and at the same time, make air travel safer for humans Can We Predict the Universe ...

The upperside feathers often feature wing bars that make birds easier to identify. And a small, separate group of feathers on the leading edge of the wing, the alula, is similar to a human’s thumb.

From a distance, the first thing you’ll probably notice about a canvasback is the striking white feathers along its back. The ...

Dove is the manager of the Feather Identification Lab at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. She and her staff identify the types of birds that ...

But there's more to bird flight than strong wings and hollow bones. One secret lies in their covert feathers—layers of small feathers that cover the wing’s base and shift during tricky ...

Possessing bird feathers could get a person cooped up in prison. The possession of feathers and other parts of native North American birds without a permit is banned by the Migratory Bird Treaty ...