 Secondaries are connected to the ulna . In some species , the ligaments that bind these remiges to the bone connect to small , rounded projections , known as quill knobs , on the ulna ; in other species , no such knobs exist . Secondary feathers remain close together in flight ( they cannot be individually separated like the primaries can ) and help to provide lift by creating the airfoil shape of the bird 's wing . Secondaries tend to be shorter and broader than primaries , with blunter ends ( see illustration ) . They vary in number from 6 in hummingbirds to as many as 40 in some species of albatross . In general , larger and longer @-@ winged species have a larger number of secondaries . Birds in more than 40 non @-@ passerine families seem to be missing the fifth secondary feather on each wing , a state known as <unk> . In these birds , the fifth set of secondary covert feathers does not cover any remex , possibly due to a twisting of the feather papillae during embryonic development . Loons , grebes , pelicans , hawks and eagles , cranes , sandpipers , gulls , parrots , and owls are among the families missing this feather . 
