Tiny filoplumes help birds monitor and maintain their feathers, researchers say

Vanya Gregor Rohwer, a curator of birds and mammals at the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates, has been studying filoplumes — tiny, hairlike feathers — alongside his father, Sievert Rohwer, and says these small structures may help enable nonstop flights that span thousands of miles.

Filoplumes are found on all birds, typically one to three per feather and densest around contour and flight feathers. They detect pressure, touch and vibration in adjacent feathers and, through sensitive nerve endings called Herbst corpuscles in their follicles, translate those mechanical cues into neuronal signals.

Researchers note filoplumes can tell birds to adjust plumage for warmth or cooling, and may prompt preening or oiling if they detect parasites; bristle feathers and ornamental mesofiloplumes perform other roles.

Key Topics

Science, Filoplumes, Vanya Rohwer, Sievert Rohwer, Cornell University, Herbst Corpuscles