Term Name: | rectrix feather |
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Synonyms: | rectrices, rectrix, retrices, retrix, retrix feather |
Definition: | A flight feather that lies along a single horizontal row on the rear margin of the anatomical tail. Only the central pair are attached (via ligaments) to the tail bones; the remaining rectrices are embedded into the rectricial bulbs, complex structures of fat and muscle that surround those bones. Rectrices are always paired, with a vast majority of species having six pairs. They are absent in grebes and some ratites, and greatly reduced in size in penguins |
Ontology: | Uberon Ontology [UBERON:0011794] |