Woodcock Pin-feather is a photograph by Sheila Terry/science Photo Library which was uploaded on September 21st, 2018.
Woodcock Pin-feather
Wing of a woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) with one of its pin-feathers that has been extracted and mounted in a holder made from a section of the... more
Title
Woodcock Pin-feather
Artist
Sheila Terry/science Photo Library
Medium
Photograph
Description
Wing of a woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) with one of its pin-feathers that has been extracted and mounted in a holder made from a section of the bird's beak. This feather is 20mm long and the broadest part is 3mm wide. A pin-feather, still in situ on the leading edge of the wing, can be seen here above the mounted feather. In Victorian times, pin-feathers were used by miniaturists who painted on ivory. Pin feathers are still used today by the artist Colin Woolf. It is possible to depict finer detail with a pin-feather brush than with the smallest conventional watercolour brush. A pin-feather is a tiny immature feather taken from the leading edge of the bird's wing. They are often incorporated into silver cap badges designed to be worn on a tweed shooting-cap, thus the saying “a feather in your cap”. Pin-feather brooches are also available.
Uploaded
September 21st, 2018
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