Speculum feathers
Patch on inner bird wings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The speculum is a patch, often distinctly coloured, on the secondary wing feathers, or remiges, of some birds.
Examples of the colour(s) of the speculum in a number of ducks are:
- Common teal and green-winged teal: Iridescent green edged with buff.[1]
- Blue-winged teal: Iridescent green.[2] The species' common name comes from the sky-blue wing coverts.
- Crested duck and bronze-winged duck: Iridescent purple-bronze, edged white.[3]
- Pacific black duck: Iridescent green, edged light buff.[3]
- Mallard: Iridescent purple-blue with white edges.[1]
- American black duck: Iridescent violet bordered in black and may have a thin white trailing edge.[1]
- Northern pintail: Iridescent green in male and brown in female, both are white on trailing edge.[2]
- Gadwall: Both sexes have white inner secondaries.[1]
- Yellow-billed duck: Iridescent green or blue, bordered white.[4]
Bright wing speculums are also known from a number of other birds; among them are several parrots from the genus Amazona with red or orange speculums,[5] though in this case the colors are pigmentary and non-iridescent.
