Bird glossary

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Arm pit -- Underwing area next to body

Back -- Top line between wings from nape to rump

Belly -- Between flank and breast

Cheek -- Under eye, forward of auricular area

Chest (breast) Near shoulder above belly

Chin -- Under bill

Coverts -- Small feathers covering quill bases of tall feathers and ear openings

Crown -- Top of head. Sometimes sports a crest of small feathers

Ear patch -- Distinctive patch of color in auricular area

Epaulette -- A patch of color found on the shoulder. Named after the shoulder ornament on a military uniform.

Eye line -- Dark thin line extending through eye from bill. A Preocular Stripe is located in front of eye; a Postocular Stripe occurs behind eye.

Eyebrow -- (Supercilium) Color stripe above the eye

Eye ring -- Circle of contrasting color outlining the eye

Flank (side) -- Lower side of body near leg

Forehead -- Area between bill and crown

Leading edge -- Front edge of wing in flight, facing direction of the bird’s journey.

Lore -- The space between eye and bill. Sometimes highly colored.

Mandible -- The upper and lower mandibles (jaws) combine to make the bill.

Mantle --The back and folded wings

Nape -- Back of neck between crown and mantle

Nares -- (pl. of Naris) External nostrils. Located near the base of upper mandible.

Nuptial Plumage -- Distinctive long and flowing head, neck and back plumes (Aigrettes), of some wading birds, like the Snowy Egret.

Outer tail feathers -- Feathers on either side of tail.

Primaries -- Large outermost flight feathers on wing. Can vary from 9-11, but the number remains constant within a species.

Rump -- Lower back area near base of tail. Contains upper tail coverts.

Scapulars -- Tracts of feathers at the sides of the shoulders. May partially cover wings. A sleeping bird may tuck its head under the scapulars.

Secondaries -- Flight feathers, smaller than the primaries, occurring in series along rear edge of wing between scapulars, inward of primaries.

Shoulder -- Where wing and body meet. May bear epaulette. Contains long flight feathers. Usually closed when the bird is at rest, open in flight. Tail display occurs in courtship behavior in some species.

Tarsus -- Shank of a bird’s leg.

Tertials ("Terts") -- Flight feathers borne on the basal joint (humerus) of the wing.

Throat -- Below chin. Sometimes highly colored.

Trailing edge -- The trailing edge of the wing faces away from the direction of flight. Here, in many ducks, is found the Speculum, a rectangular patch of color -- green purple, blue or white.

Underwing Lining -- Short feathers on underwing under underwing coverts.

Vent -- Anal opening.

Wing bars -- Crosswise markings or color variations on the wings of some birds.

Wrist -- Joint at the "bend" of the wing.