Shuttlecock

A projectile used in the sport of Badminton. Traditionally, a shuttlecock is made from a head of cork? and a skirt of overlapping goose? feathers? (See diagram).

        __
       /  \  - - Head
      |____|             
      /    \ 
     /      \            
    /        \ - - Skirt  
   /          \       
  /____________\ 

For most casual players, this has been replaced by a shuttlecock made using a plastic head and skirt. The feather shuttlecock is still used by "serious" players and for competitions.