Hair vs. Feather — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on May 4, 2024
Hair is a protein filament growing from follicles in the skin of mammals, while feathers are unique to birds, providing insulation and aiding in flight.
Difference Between Hair and Feather
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Hair is primarily composed of keratin and grows from the dermis of mammals, serving functions like temperature regulation and protection. Whereas feathers, also composed of keratin, are complex structures exclusive to birds, crucial for flight, insulation, and display.
Hair grows continuously and can be found across nearly all mammals, adapting to various environmental pressures such as temperature and camouflage. On the other hand, feathers are periodically replaced through molting, a process that allows birds to maintain the integrity of their plumage for effective flight and thermal regulation.
Hair varies widely in texture, length, and color among different species and individuals, influenced by genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors. In contrast, feathers can also vary dramatically within a single individual, not only in color but in shape and size, tailored to specific functions like flight, mating displays, or camouflage.
Hair follicle density and structure vary significantly among mammal species, which determines the nature of the hair coat, whether it be dense fur or sparse whiskers. Feathers, however, are arranged in precise patterns that optimize birds' aerodynamic properties and body heat retention.
Comparison Chart
Composition
Keratin
Keratin
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Function
Protection, insulation
Flight, insulation, display
Growth
Continuous
Molting periodically
Variability
Texture, length, color
Shape, size, color
Location of Growth
Dermis of mammals
Skin of birds
Compare with Definitions
Hair
Varies in texture from curly to straight.
His coarse hair needed extra conditioning.
Feather
Periodically replaced through molting.
The swan was molting its feathers.
Hair
Indicates health and vitality.
Her shiny, vibrant hair was due to a healthy diet.
Feather
Lightweight structure unique to birds.
The peacock's feathers shimmered in the sunlight.
Hair
Fine, threadlike strands growing from the skin of mammals.
She brushed her long, silky hair.
Feather
Varies widely in color and form.
The male bird displayed bright feathers to attract a mate.
Hair
Can be an aesthetic feature in humans.
She dyed her hair blue for the concert.
Feather
Used for insulation against the cold.
Penguins' dense feathers keep them warm in icy waters.
Hair
Often covers the majority of the body in animals.
The dog's thick hair protects it from the cold.
Feather
Essential for flight in many species.
The eagle's large feathers enable it to soar high.
Hair
Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
Feather
Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on dinosaurs, both avian (bird) and some non-avian (non-bird) and possibly other archosauromorphs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty.
Hair
Any of the fine threadlike strands growing from the skin of humans, mammals, and some other animals
Thick black hairs on his huge arms
Coarse outer hairs overlie the thick underfur
Feather
One of the light, flat structures growing from the skin of birds, consisting of numerous slender, closely arranged parallel barbs forming a vane on either side of a horny, tapering, partly hollow shaft.
Hair
Hairs collectively, especially those growing on a person's head
Her shoulder-length fair hair
Feather
A feathery tuft or fringe of hair, as on the legs or tail of some dogs.
Hair
A very small quantity or extent
His magic takes him a hair above the competition
Feather
Character, kind, or nature
Birds of a feather flock together.
Hair
Any of the cylindrical, keratinized, often pigmented filaments characteristically growing from the epidermis of a mammal.
Feather
A strip, wedge, or flange used as a strengthening part.
Hair
A growth of such filaments, as that forming the coat of an animal or covering the scalp of a human.
Feather
A wedge or key that fits into a groove to make a joint.
Hair
A filamentous projection or bristle similar to a hair, such as a seta of an arthropod or an epidermal process of a plant.
Feather
The vane of an arrow.
Hair
Fabric made from the hair of certain animals
A coat of alpaca hair.
Feather
A feather-shaped flaw, as in a precious stone.
Hair
A minute distance or narrow margin
Won by a hair.
Feather
The wake made by a submarine's periscope.
Hair
A precise or exact degree
Calibrated to a hair.
Feather
The act of feathering the blade of an oar in rowing.
Hair
(countable) A pigmented filament of keratin which grows from a follicle on the skin of humans and other mammals.
Feather
To cover, dress, or decorate with feathers or featherlike projections.
Hair
(uncountable) The collection or mass of such growths growing from the skin of humans and animals, and forming a covering for a part of the head or for any part or the whole body.
In the western world, women usually have long hair while men usually have short hair.
Feather
To fit (an arrow) with a feather.
Hair
A slender outgrowth from the chitinous cuticle of insects, spiders, crustaceans, and other invertebrates. Such hairs are totally unlike those of vertebrates in structure, composition, and mode of growth.
Feather
To thin, reduce, or fringe the edge of (wood, for example) by cutting, shaving, or making thinner.
Hair
A cellular outgrowth of the epidermis, consisting of one or of several cells, whether pointed, hooked, knobbed, or stellated.
Internal hairs occur in the flower stalk of the yellow frog lily (Nuphar).
Feather
To spread (paint, for example) thinly at the edges so as to blend with the surrounding area.
Hair
(countable) Any slender, flexible outgrowth, filament, or fiber growing or projecting from the surface of an object or organism.
Feather
To shorten and taper (hair) by cutting and thinning.
Hair
A locking spring or other safety device in the lock of a rifle, etc., capable of being released by a slight pressure on a hair-trigger.
Feather
To blur or soften the edge of (an image).
Hair
(obsolete) Haircloth; a hair shirt.
Feather
To apply (a brake, throttle, or other control) gently or slightly and steadily.
Hair
(countable) Any very small distance, or degree; a hairbreadth.
Just a little louder please—turn that knob a hair to the right.
Feather
To turn (an oar blade) almost horizontal as it is carried back after each stroke.
Hair
Complexity; difficulty; the quality of being hairy.
Feather
To alter the pitch of (a propeller) so that the chords of the blades are parallel with the line of flight.
Hair
(transitive) To remove the hair from.
Feather
To alter the pitch of (the rotor of a helicopter) while in forward flight.
Hair
(intransitive) To grow hair (where there was a bald spot).
Feather
To turn off (an aircraft engine) while in flight.
Hair
(transitive) To cause to have or bear hair; to provide with hair
Feather
To grow feathers or become feathered.
Hair
To string the bow for a violin.
Feather
To move, spread, or grow in a manner suggestive of feathers
“Steam feathered out from under the bathroom door” (Melinda Hayes).
Hair
The collection or mass of filaments growing from the skin of an animal, and forming a covering for a part of the head or for any part or the whole of the body.
Feather
To become thin or less dense at the edges
“That lipstick had feathered out in the corners of her mouth” (Erin McCarthy).
Hair
One the above-mentioned filaments, consisting, in vertebrate animals, of a long, tubular part which is free and flexible, and a bulbous root imbedded in the skin.
Then read he me how Sampson lost his hairs.
And draweth new delights with hoary hairs.
Feather
To feather an oar.
Hair
Hair (human or animal) used for various purposes; as, hair for stuffing cushions.
Feather
To feather a propeller.
Hair
A slender outgrowth from the chitinous cuticle of insects, spiders, crustaceans, and other invertebrates. Such hairs are totally unlike those of vertebrates in structure, composition, and mode of growth.
Feather
A branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds, used for flight, swimming, protection and display.
Hair
An outgrowth of the epidermis, consisting of one or of several cells, whether pointed, hooked, knobbed, or stellated. Internal hairs occur in the flower stalk of the yellow frog lily (Nuphar).
Feather
Long hair on the lower legs of a dog or horse, especially a draft horse, notably the Clydesdale breed. Narrowly only the rear hair.
Hair
A spring device used in a hair-trigger firearm.
Feather
One of the fins or wings on the shaft of an arrow.
Hair
A haircloth.
Feather
A longitudinal strip projecting from an object to strengthen it, or to enter a channel in another object and thereby prevent displacement sideways but permit motion lengthwise; a spline.
Hair
Any very small distance, or degree; a hairbreadth.
Feather
Kind; nature; species (from the proverbial phrase "birds of a feather").
Hair
Dense growth of hairs covering the body or parts of it (as on the human head); helps prevent heat loss;
He combed his hair
Feather
One of the two shims of the three-piece stone-splitting tool known as plug and feather or plug and feathers; the feathers are placed in a borehole and then a wedge is driven between them, causing the stone to split.
Hair
A very small distance or space;
They escaped by a hair's-breadth
They lost the election by a whisker
Feather
The angular adjustment of an oar or paddle-wheel float, with reference to a horizontal axis, as it leaves or enters the water.
Hair
Filamentous hairlike growth on a plant;
Peach fuzz
Feather
Anything petty or trifling; a whit or jot.
Hair
Any of the cylindrical filaments characteristically growing from the epidermis of a mammal;
There is a hair in my soup
Feather
Partridges and pheasants, as opposed to rabbits and hares (called fur).
Hair
Cloth woven from horsehair or camelhair; used for upholstery or stiffening in garments
Feather
(rail) A junction indicator attached to a colour-light signal at an angle, which lights up, typically with four white lights in a row, when a diverging route is set up.
Hair
A filamentous projection or process on an organism
Feather
To cover or furnish with feathers; to fletch.
Feather
To adorn, as if with feathers; to fringe.
Feather
To arrange in the manner or appearance of feathers.
The stylist feathered my hair.
Feather
To rotate the oars while they are out of the water to reduce wind resistance.
Feather
(aeronautics) To streamline the blades of an aircraft's propeller by rotating them perpendicular to the axis of the propeller when the engine is shut down so that the propeller does not windmill during flight.
After striking the bird, the pilot feathered the damaged left engine’s propeller.
Feather
To finely shave or bevel an edge.
Feather
(computer graphics) To intergrade or blend the pixels of an image with those of a background or neighboring image.
Feather
(intransitive) Of written or printed ink: to take on a blurry appearance as a result of spreading through the receiving medium.
Feather
(transitive) To render light as a feather; to give wings to.
Feather
(transitive) To enrich; to exalt; to benefit.
Feather
(transitive) To tread, as a cockerel.
Feather
To move the cue back and forth along the bridge in preparation for striking the cue ball.
Feather
To accidentally touch the cue ball with the tip of the cue when taking aim.
Feather
(transitive) To touch lightly, like (or as if with) a feather.
Feather
(transitive) To move softly, like a feather.
Feather
One of the peculiar dermal appendages, of several kinds, belonging to birds, as contour feathers, quills, and down.
Feather
Kind; nature; species; - from the proverbial phrase, "Birds of a feather," that is, of the same species.
I am not of that feather to shake offMy friend when he must need me.
Feather
The fringe of long hair on the legs of the setter and some other dogs.
Feather
A tuft of peculiar, long, frizzly hair on a horse.
Feather
One of the fins or wings on the shaft of an arrow.
Feather
A longitudinal strip projecting as a fin from an object, to strengthen it, or to enter a channel in another object and thereby prevent displacement sidwise but permit motion lengthwise; a spline.
Feather
A thin wedge driven between the two semicylindrical parts of a divided plug in a hole bored in a stone, to rend the stone.
Feather
The angular adjustment of an oar or paddle-wheel float, with reference to a horizontal axis, as it leaves or enters the water.
Feather
To furnish with a feather or feathers, as an arrow or a cap.
An eagle had the ill hap to be struck with an arrow feathered from her own wing.
Feather
To adorn, as with feathers; to fringe.
A few birches and oaks still feathered the narrow ravines.
Feather
To render light as a feather; to give wings to.
The Polonian story perhaps may feather some tedious hours.
Feather
To enrich; to exalt; to benefit.
They stuck not to say that the king cared not to plume his nobility and people to feather himself.
Feather
To tread, as a cock.
Feather
To grow or form feathers; to become feathered; - often with out; as, the birds are feathering out.
Feather
To curdle when poured into another liquid, and float about in little flakes or "feathers;" as, the cream feathers.
Feather
To turn to a horizontal plane; - said of oars.
The feathering oar returns the gleam.
Stopping his sculls in the air to feather accurately.
Feather
To have the appearance of a feather or of feathers; to be or to appear in feathery form.
A clump of ancient cedars feathering in evergreen beauty down to the ground.
The ripple feathering from her bows.
Feather
The light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds
Feather
Turning an oar parallel to the water between pulls
Feather
Join tongue and groove, in carpentry
Feather
Cover or fit with feathers
Feather
Turn the paddle; in canoeing
Feather
Turn the oar, while rowing
Feather
Grow feathers;
The young sparrows are fledging already
Common Curiosities
How do hair and feathers differ in their growth process?
Hair grows continuously, while feathers undergo molting and are replaced periodically.
How do the textures of hair and feathers compare?
Hair texture varies from fine to coarse and from curly to straight, whereas feathers have a more uniform texture but vary greatly in shape and size.
What is the primary chemical composition of hair and feathers?
Both hair and feathers are primarily made up of keratin.
What are the main functions of hair and feathers?
Hair mainly provides insulation and protection, while feathers are essential for flight, thermal regulation, and visual signaling.
Can both hair and feathers vary in color?
Yes, both can vary in color, but feathers can also have complex patterns useful for camouflage or mating.
What roles do feathers play in birds' flight?
Feathers enable flight through their aerodynamic properties and lightweight structure.
How does molting affect birds?
Molting is necessary for birds to replace old or damaged feathers, crucial for maintaining effective flight and insulation.
Why do some animals have hair while birds have feathers?
Hair and feathers evolved to fulfill similar but distinct ecological niches, with feathers adapting for flight.
How do hair and feathers respond to environmental changes?
Hair can change density and length in response to environmental factors; feathers are replaced entirely to adapt to different conditions.
Are feathers more complex than hair?
Yes, feathers are structurally more complex than hair, supporting various functions like flight and display.
How do different cultures use hair and feathers?
Both are used decoratively; feathers are often used in ceremonial attire, while hair can signify social or cultural status.
What similarities exist between hair and feathers?
Both serve as external coverings made from keratin and play roles in thermoregulation.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
