Anatomy

Speculum

Định Nghĩa

A brightly colored, often iridescent patch on the secondary feathers of duck wings.

Giải Thích Chi Tiết

The speculum is formed by the modified outer vanes of the secondary remiges, which contain structural nanostructures producing iridescent blues, greens, or purples. It is visible in flight and serves as a species recognition signal and mate-quality indicator. In many duck species, the speculum color is identical in both sexes and year-round, making it a reliable identification feature even during the dull eclipse plumage of molting males.

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