filoplume
/ˈfɪləˌplum/
noun
- A small, thin feather with a long shaft and a few barbs at the tip, found on birds and used for sensing touch or vibration.
- The bird's filoplume feathers help it feel when its other feathers are out of place.
- Under a microscope, the filoplume looks like a tiny hair with a tuft at the end.
- Ornithologists study filoplumes to understand how birds detect changes in airflow.