Recent Examples on the WebThe female is a striking bird on her own, with similar body plumage as the male, if slightly toned down, and a browning face.—Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, 28 Mar. 2024 Tawny owls are medium-sized nocturnal birds who have two plumage color morphs, pale gray and dark brown.—Grrlscientist, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 That bland description does the drake wood duck’s plumage no justice at all.—Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, 15 Feb. 2024 Down fill has come under fire from animal rights organizations like PETA, who have called out the inhumane practice of live-plucking animals for their plumage.—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 11 Feb. 2024 The bird is the snow bunting — so named both for its predominantly snow-white plumage and amazing ability to withstand snow and subfreezing weather in its breeding grounds in the Arctic tundra.—Richard B. Karel, Baltimore Sun, 5 Jan. 2024 The bird’s plumage is divided directly down the middle, with blue feathers typical of males on its right side and the emerald-green feathers of females on its left.—Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Dec. 2023 Down filling is made from the soft plumage under a duck or goose’s feathers and is known for its ability to provide warmth and fluffiness to a variety of goods with minimal weight.—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 11 Feb. 2024 All indigo buntings eventually molt into brown plumage in the fall.—Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plumage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Middle French, from Old French, from plume feather — more at plume
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