Official name for the object that the players must hit. Composed of 16 goose feathers attached to a cork base covered with leather. Synthetic shuttles are also used by some.
The shuttlecock, also known as the shuttle or bird, is a hemisphere of cork, 1 to 1 1/8 inches in diameter, surmounted by a short cylindrical crown in which are embedded 14 to 16 "feathers", 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 inches long, with a toop spread of from 2 1/8 to 2 1/2 inches. The weight is between 73 and 85 grains (about 1 1/6 ounce).
A circular piece of rubber or cork that measures one to 11/8 inches in diameter. Attached to the base is a crown of 14 to 16 feathers, often made of plastic, which keep the shuttlecock aloft when hit.
A shuttlecock is a high-drag projectile used in the sport of badminton. It has an open conical shape: the cone is formed from sixteen overlapping goose feathers embedded into a rounded cork base. The cork is covered with thin leather.