(Ron Dudley) (Ron Dudley) (Bold Method)Ī different feature located in the same anatomical area is the carpal spur or wing claw, which looks like a small toenail located at the carpal joint. Much like the slats on airplane wings the alulae are used to increase lift and prevent stalling during slow flight. Normally the alulae are held flush along the surface of the wing and are difficult to see but when landing or flying at very slow speeds (like hovering) the alulae move forward and upward so they becomes more visible. (Josh Pete)įlying birds use the alula thumb to hone their flight angles. The feathers that attach to their hand and fingers are the primaries and those that attach to the forearm are the secondaries.Īlula (plural: alulae) comes from the Latin for ‘winglet’ and is a small, freely moving first digit on the leading edge of the wings of flying birds. It’s considered the bird’s ‘thumb’ and is covered by three to five small flight feathers, which can stick out and in many bird species is clearly visible. Not so, in chickens who no longer require assistance in flight and therefore most often don’t have them. The flight feathers are attached to the ulna and metacarpals. Chickens fly with their forearms and hands. When you look at the image below you can see how human, mammal and bird structures are similar. We probably don’t think about chickens’ wings being comparable to our arms and hands, but they are. If you examine chicken wings on your dinner plate or in your flock you might be so lucky as to come across one in person. The features at the heart of this lesson is the alula thumb and carpal spur, which have been bred out of most poultry. Most chickens don’t fly, or if they do, it’s for short distances or not very high (unless they’re a bantam or light breed bird). ![]() The focus of this one is a combination of both bone structure and feathers and how, together, they assist in avian mobility and flight. ![]() I’ve done a number of articles involving anatomical systems in chickens: respiratory reproductive digestive nervous system and the five senses as well as one about feathers. Sometimes I hit a dead-end sometimes the result is a case study or a feature in my avian pathology series, while other times I can write a stand-alone post. I hoard images, stories and tidbits of information that I pull out when I have enough time to do a bit of a deeper dive and see if I can turn that into a post. I’m always challenged to learn as much as I can and, in turn, pass that on to my readers. I do an inordinate amount of scrolling through online chicken groups and reading about chicken health issues.
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