saddle feather

8.9

A long narrow feather on the back of a chicken near its tail

noun
/ˈsædəl ˈfɛðər/

Specialized

: pluma de silla

The rooster’s brightly colored saddle feathers were especially impressive during the show.

Examples

When molting, chickens may lose some of their saddle feathers, affecting their appearance temporarily.
Experienced breeders can identify certain chicken breeds by the shape and color of their saddle feathers.
The rooster has beautiful saddle feathers.
Look at that saddle feather on the hen!
Experienced breeders can identify certain chicken breeds by the shape and color of their saddle feathers.
The rooster’s brightly colored saddle feathers were especially impressive during the show.
When molting, chickens may lose some of their saddle feathers, affecting their appearance temporarily.

Synonyms

saddle hackle

vssaddle feather

Specialized

9.9

A long narrow feather from a chicken's back used for making fishing flies or decoration

is the general anatomical term for the same long narrow plume from the bird's back

How Long

sickle feather

8.6

tail feather

4 2.4

saddle feather

Specialized

8.9

contour feather

Specialized

8.2

down feather

1 3.2

Surface Forms

saddle feather singular

saddle feathers plural

Morphology

saddle + feather

The compound is directly compositional: 'saddle' names the area on a fowl (over the hips/base of the tail) and 'feather' names a bird's feather, so 'saddle feather' straightforwardly denotes a feather from that area. This is a regular locative noun compound following common English compounding patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Saddle feather is named for where it sits on a bird. The long, narrow feathers lie over the bird's back where a small saddle would sit near the base of the tail, so the name means 'a back feather'.