1.In a pennaceous feather, the barbs grow helically around the tubular feather germ and fuse on one side to form the rachis.Simultaneously, new barb ridges form on the other side of the tube.
1.Today, the typical feather consists of a central shaft, called a rachis, with serial paired barbs forming a flat, curved surface, which is called a vane.
2.The central part of the feather became a hardened structure called a rachis, with lots of little barbs and barbules, creating the vanes of the feather.
3.So where you see a typical flight feather that has a closed vein and an offset rachis to give it an aerodynamic airfoil shape, the ostrich is have done away with that completely.