They are the inner secondaries. (Unless they are tertials, attached to the
humerus). They are no different to the other secondaries, apart from having
the barred pattern. So they wouldn't have a special name, other than these
two options. Most birds would have these inner secondaries as shorter than
the more distal neighbours but in this species they are longer. The Darter
is also unusual in that the body feathers and those at the front of the wing
are mostly rather small and not so obviously overlapping, so you always get
this what looks like a big gap between the wing and body feathers in this
species. Most birds in a pose like that have less of a gap as they would
usually show an overlapping panel of feathers from the wing to the back.
Philip
-----Original Message-----
From: Birding-Aus On Behalf Of
Sent: Thursday, 6 September, 2018 5:04 PM
To:
Subject: Two "ladders
Hi
Just looking at an image of an Australasian Darter (male, breeding I guess)
photographed a couple of weeks ago in the Botanical Gardens in Cairns.
Photographed from behind with wings drying. Can any ornithologist tell me
what the two "ladder-like" feathers are next to its body? I cannot find the
answer anywhere.
Thanks in advance
David in Blackheath
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