Mini flight feathers?

[StormyPica]

Stormy and Picasso have at least one "extra" flight feather that is a normal-looking feather, but is at least 1/2 the size of the surrounding flights. Additionally, these feathers often grow in behind existing flights. They don't seem to affect the birds at all, what could they be?

 

[SailBoat]

Pictures always help.
It is possible that you are see a support feather: Understanding that flight feathers commonly have additional feathers behind them to provide support for the flight feathers which aid in holding the flight feather in place while flying.

 

[HeatherG]

Is this little feather in the front edge of the wing, at the elbow? If it’s that mini -feather there, that is the “alula“ or the thumb of the wing.

If it’s somewhere else I’m not sure what you mean.

 

[StormyPica]

Is this little feather in the front edge of the wing, at the elbow? If it’s that mini -feather there, that is the “alula“ or the thumb of the wing.

If it’s somewhere else I’m not sure what you mean.

It's not that. It may just be a support feather, as Sailboat said, but sadly I can't get a pic unless I happen to catch them stretching their wings out.

 

[StormyPica]

Pictures always help.
It is possible that you are see a support feather: Understanding that flight feathers commonly have additional feathers behind them to provide support for the flight feathers which aid in holding the flight feather in place while flying.

Any sources for that you could link for support feathers? I tried to find some, but couldn't. I'd really like to compare a pic of the support feathers to what I see in my own birds.

 

[HeatherG]

If you could take a picture of their wing I could identify this feather.

Otherwise look up parts of the wing, feather tracts, groups of feathers/ feather types, etc. and see if you can classify the feather yourself.

OR you could draw the wing…but drawing the feathers in a birds wing is difficult.

 

[texsize]

I recently found a mini "flight" feather from one of the twins.
I took several pics but had a hard time having the color come out right.

 

[StormyPica]

I recently found a mini "flight" feather from one of the twins.
I took several pics but had a hard time having the color come out right.

View attachment 44696

That looks more like a body feather to me...

 

[texsize]

Body contour feathers for Amazons are more of a teardrop shape, much shorter .
But I have no idea where it came from as it fell of during flight.

 

[SailBoat]

I recently found a mini "flight" feather from one of the twins.
I took several pics but had a hard time having the color come out right.

View attachment 44696

This feather is from the second set back of wing flight feathers (a supporting feather) from the right side (note that deference in distance from the feathers central core). It likely sat near the center of the secondary flight feathers, right side. It could also be from the second /supporting set back of the tail feathers, also right side. Either location are very similar and thus possible.

It is not a body feathers as commented by Wes, as he stated, they are very different in appearance.

Flight support feather is my term as I am too lazy to open my Avian Medical Book and view a drawing of the flight wing feathers.