Abstract:Deceased 20 25 2 ABSTRACT Feathers act as aerodynamic cantilevers, and to withstand the prolonged cyclical loading that occurs during flight, feathers must be stiff, lightweight and strong. We experimentally tested the 30 differences in feather structure, primarily stiffness and size, between (a) wild and captive Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis, and (b) primary feathers dropped during the annual flight feather moult, and those feathers freshly regrown during the moult process. We found that, despite having und… Show more
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