noun
- Areas of skin on a bird's body that lack feathers; bare patches between feathered regions.
Usage: ornithology; plural: apteria or apteries
Examples
- The apteria on a bird's wings allow for better flexibility during flight.
- Ornithologists study the distribution of apteria to understand bird anatomy.
- The apteria around a penguin's eyes are visible as bare skin.
- Feather tracts and apteria together make up the complete plumage pattern of birds.