neoptile

neoptile

English

Noun

neoptile (uncountable)

1. The down or light, fluffy feathers on a young bird.
   • 2012, Barn Own Conservation Handbook:

     Newly hatched young are naked and pink, but within a few days a short white down known as the neoptile unfolds from the skin (Kniprath & Stier 2008).

   • 2017, Hanneke Meijer, The Guardian, 28 June:

     Among the neoptile feathers occur isolated bristle-like filaments, whose origin and function are unclear.

Anagrams

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