Figure 1

Feather position and measured feather parameters. (A) Position of the investigated feathers in the barn owl (left) and the pigeon (right); scale bar: 10 cm. (B) Investigated parameters on the flight feather (p5 of a barn owl). Measurements were taken every 10% of feather length. (C) Scanning electron microscopy pictures of two connected barbs at 60% of the inner vane of feather p10 of the barn owl (above) and the pigeon (below) from dorsal (left) and ventral (right) view (bs: barb shaft, hr: hook radiate, br: bow radiate, p: pennulum, h: hooklet); scale bar 200 μm. (D) Investigated barb parameters.