Coverts

Coverts is the plural of covert and can refer to two related concepts in biology and ornithology. In wildlife biology and habitat management, a covert is a dense patch of vegetation that provides shelter and concealment for birds and other wildlife. Such coverts offer protection from predators, nesting sites, and foraging microhabitats, and they are a common target in habitat restoration and game management programs. Types of coverts include hedgerows, coppiced woodlands, scrubby regrowth, brush piles, and other dense vegetation structures.

In ornithology, coverts are a group of small feathers that cover the bases of the primary and secondary flight feathers on a bird’s wings and tail. The wing coverts are typically subdivided into greater, median, and lesser coverts, and there are also inner and outer coverts on each wing. Tail coverts cover the bases of the tail feathers. The coverts contribute to the smooth silhouette of the wing, affect aerodynamics, and are often used in plumage identification. They can show characteristic wear, molt patterns, and coloration that help determine age or species in some birds.

Etymology: the noun covert comes from Old French covert, covert, meaning “covered” or “hidden,” from couvrir “to cover.” The plural coverts has been used in English to denote both sheltering vegetation and the feather grouping in wings and tails. See also covert (hiding place) and wing feather anatomy.