Venue: The Tribe Location: 21 Foley St, Darlinghurst 20 Oct - 12 Nov, 2017 Web:https://thetribeco.com.au
Light as a Feather explores the science of feathers, how they get their colour, the marvel of flight, and their uniqueness. A new direction of work for nature photographer Angela Robertson-Buchanan who has photographed intricate feathers with a macro lens and graphic designers Eggpicnic who have explored birds in flight. This exhibition is especially for BirdLife Australia's National bird week, with 20% of sales donated to them.
Regent Parrot Wing, Contour, Semiplume & Tail feathers. The Regent Parrot has two separate populations separated by the Nullarbor Plain: one in the Mallee regions of eastern Australia, and the other in the Wheatbelt region of southern Western Australia. Eastern populations are endangered, while the western population is thought to be increasing.
The Science of Feathers
Each feather on a bird’s body is a perfected structure, they not only provide flight, but provide insulation, waterproofing, camouflage and display.
Semiplume Scarlet-chested Parrot Feather Semiplumes are hidden beneath other feathers on the bird’s body and have a loose structure that helps the bird stay warm. The Scarlet-chested Parrot, which inhabits arid and semi-arid parts of southern Australia, is one of our most poorly understood species of parrots. The reason for this is that they seldom occur regularly at any particular site. Instead, they briefly turn up here and there, and then disappear, seemingly without a trace. Their conservation status is rare in South Australia, Vulnerable in NSW and secure in Western Australia
Different types of feathers
Semiplume Feathers are hidden beneath other feathers on the bird’s body and have a loose structure that helps the bird stay warm.
Contour feathers are what you see covering the bird’s body. The interlocking colourful region is structured to help keep the bird dry. The bottom third of the feather is the downy section that traps heat.
Wing feathers have a branched structure that interlocks like Velcro to create a uniform windproof surface that allows lift in flight. The main wing feathers are typically asymmetrical with a shorter leading edge for improved aerodynamics
Tail feathers feature a branched structure that interlocks like Velcro to create a uniform surface helping birds to steer in flight.
Down Feather has a loosely branching structure which allows birds to trap body heat and stay warm, normally found beneath the semiplume feathers.
Rainbow Lorikeet Wing, Contour & Tail feathers. The Rainbow Lorikeet occurs in coastal regions across northern and eastern Australia, with a local population in Perth (Western Australia) and Tasmania, initiated from aviary releases. In last year’s Australian Bird Count, the Rainbow Lorikeet was the most counted bird so made number 1!Ibis Tail Feathers, study 1 Each feather marking is unique to each individual bird, a bit like our finger tips. Under analysis, scientists can tell how old the feather is (by unique stress lines and patterns, a bit like tree rings) and what environmental exposures they have been subjected to. Due to habitat clearance, some Australian White Ibis populations have learnt to exploit artificial foods in urban environments and are becoming perceived as pests. However, although Australian White Ibises are becoming more common in some urban areas, their abundance is decreasing in their natural range.Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo Tail Feathers. Tail feathers feature a branched structure that interlocks like Velcro to create a uniform surface helping birds to steer in flight.Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo in Flight.Immature Male Superb Fairy Wren moulting into breeding plumage. Male Fairy-wrens moult into their breeding plumage (blue tail, head, body) each breeding season. Immature males will moult into breeding plumage the first breeding season after hatching, but it will be incomplete and take 2/3 years to perfect. The tail feathers are an important feature of a Fairy-Wren as they are usually held upright and assist with balance when they hop and bounce! Tail feathers are what steers a bird in flight.
Brisbane: Until 13 July 2025. Amateur Brisbane photographer Alfred Henrie Elliott (1870-1954) extraordinary images lay dormant for decades until they were discovered only recently. This exhibition is curated by seven Brisbane photographers.
Sydney: The photographs in Max Dupain: Student Life were taken at the University of Sydney in the early 1950s, a period of rapid change marked by the politics of the Cold War.
Perth: Until 18 May 2025. Henry Roy – Impossible Island draws on 40-years of recollections and observations as it brings together 113 photos taken from 1983 to 2023.
Melbourne: Until 31 January. Prepare to be transported into the picturesque world of Accidentally Wes Anderson: The Exhibition—an Instagram sensation and New York Times best-selling book brought to life!
Melbourne: until 16 Feb 2025. Petrina Hicks works with photography to create large-scale photographs that draw from mythology, fables, and historical art imagery to reframe the contemporary female experience.
Sydney: Until 31 Dec 2025. PIX, Australia’s first pictorial news weekly, is brought to life in this exhibition, showcasing its archived images and stories for the very first time.
