Skip to content

Destinations
Birds
Field Guides
Learn
Gear
- Gear guides
- Binocular selectorFive questions, one answer
Journal

Plan a trip

Search the site

Try a bird, a place or a month: "hornbill", "Costa Rica", "shorebirds".

Home
Glossary

Bird topography

Rump

The lower back, just above the base of the tail.

A pale rump seen in flight is a classic field mark for harriers, wheatears and many sandpipers.

Bird topography

Related terms

Tarsus The lower, usually bare, part of the leg above the toes.

Culmen The upper ridge of the bill from its tip to where the feathers begin.

Casque A helmet-like growth on top of the bill or head.

Nape The back of the neck.

Tertials The innermost flight feathers, next to the body, which often cover the folded primaries on a perched bird.

Primary projection How far the primary tips extend beyond the tertials on a perched bird.

The Ornithology

The Ornithology is an independent guide for birders, guides and researchers: where to go, what you will see, and how birds live.

Explore

Destinations
Birds
Field guides
Gear

Learn

Bird Biology course
Glossary
Bird migration
Birding terminology

The Ornithology

Privacy Policy
Disclaimer
Contact

© 2026 The Ornithology. Photos are credited on each page. Taxonomy follows AviList.