plumage

[ploo-mij] /ˈplu mɪdʒ/
noun
1.
the entire feathery covering of a bird.
2.
feathers collectively.
Origin
1375-1425; late Middle English < Middle French. See plume, -age
Related forms
plumaged, adjective
Examples from the web for plumage
  • Various vultures have featherless necks, presumably to stop the blood and gore from their meals matting their plumage.
  • Hummingbirds have long been admired for their colorful and iridescent plumage.
  • They even have colors in their plumage that are invisible to the human eye.
  • They had little reason to think otherwise, since every swan ever examined had the same snowy plumage.
  • Only the band members, in their felt hats and feathers, provided any plumage.
  • They grow plumage that resembles fur more than feathers.
  • They are red caps, so named for a manner of freakish plumage that resembles external brains.
  • And you may spy an imperial pheasant, a handsome bird with a purple-blue plumage.
  • With regards to plumage gloss, but this is variable.
  • Differences in plumage are much more marked in females.
British Dictionary definitions for plumage

plumage

/ˈpluːmɪdʒ/
noun
1.
the layer of feathers covering the body of a bird
Word Origin
C15: from Old French, from plume feather, from Latin plūma down
Word Origin and History for plumage
n.

late 14c., "feathers," from Old French plumage "plumage, appearance" (14c.), from plume (see plume (n.)).

plumage in Science
plumage
  (pl'mĭj)   
The covering of feathers on a bird.
Encyclopedia Article for plumage

collective feathered covering of a bird. It provides protection, insulation, and adornment and also helps streamline and soften body contours, reducing friction in air and water. Plumage of the newborn chick is downy, called neossoptile; that which follows is termed teleoptile. Juvenal plumage, frequently distinct from that of the adult bird, is often drab, streaked, or spotted and thus camouflages the young

Learn more about plumage with a free trial on Britannica.com