Shuttlecock
A lightweight, feathered or plastic projectile hit back and forth in badminton.
Overview
A shuttlecock, also called a shuttle or birdie, is a cone-shaped projectile with a rounded cork or rubber base and a skirt of feathers or moulded plastic. Its open, feathered shape creates high drag, so it flies fast off the racket but slows quickly in the air.
This unique flight — quick then decelerating, and always turning base-first — is what makes badminton play so distinctive compared with ball sports.
Good to know
- Also called a shuttle or birdie.
- The feathered skirt creates drag that slows it quickly.
- Feather shuttles are more delicate than plastic ones.
Where it’s used
Sports that use shuttlecock:
How it connects
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Frequently learned together
Taught side by side in the same stage of a learning path.
- Badminton racketBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Badminton learning path.
- Badminton courtBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Badminton learning path.
- Sports hallBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Badminton learning path.
- WoodBoth are taught in the “What you’ll need” stage of the Badminton learning path.
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Facilities
Playing surfaces
Techniques
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Equipment
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-09-12
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