Remicle

The remicle is the partially missing or greatly reduced outermost hand wing on the bird's wing.

There are different opinions about the function and origin of this spring. STEPHAN (1970) says about this pen:

" The Remicle sits as a small stiff feather distal to the outer hand-wing, which is actively involved in the propulsion of the bird, on the terminal phalanx of the second finger. "

If on the one hand the rudiment of a hand swing previously involved in propulsion is seen in it, on the other hand it is assigned an aerodynamic function that covers the basal area not covered by the outer vane of the outermost hand swing. Together with the hand wings and cover springs, the Remicle serves to stabilize the wing during flight.

The remicle is always present in some groups of birds: grebes (Podicipediformes), loons (Gaviformes), tubular noses (Procellariiformes), coarse pods (Pelecaniformes), herons (Ardeidae), ibises (Threskiornithidae) and flamingos (Phoenicopteriformes).

In other groups the following are always missing: chickens (Galliformes), cuckoos (Cuculiformes), parrots (Psittaciformes) and night swallows (Caprimulgiformes).

In the groups not mentioned, the Remicle is partially available, sometimes individually different.

literature

• Wolf-Dieter Busching: Handbook of the plumage of European birds. AULA-Verlag, Wiesbaden 1997, ISBN 3-89104-570-0 .
• B. Stephan (1970): About occurrence and function of the Remicle. Contributor Vogelkd. 16: pp. 372-385.