# Feather Star (*Antedon bifida*)

> The common feather star (Antedon bifida) is a crinoid that walks on cirri while waving feathered arms to filter plankton. Adults reach 15 cm arm span and are Least Concern.

- **Category:** Invertebrate
- **Conservation status (IUCN):** Least Concern
- **Range:** Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean rocky subtidal.
- **Canonical page:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/feather-star/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Echinodermata
- **Class:** Crinoidea
- **Order:** Comatulida
- **Family:** Antedonidae
- **Genus:** Antedon

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Antedon bifida |
| Diet | Filter feeder |
| Habitat | Rocky reefs |
| Lifespan | 5–10 years |
| Weight | 0.01–0.03 kg |
| Top speed | up to 1 km/h |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |

## Walking flower of the reef

Feather stars are crinoids — ancient echinoderms with many branched arms lined in tube feet for filtering. Hooked cirri on the stalk let them crawl and re-anchor.

## Plankton from passing currents

Arms form a fan in current, trapping particles moved toward the mouth at the arm base. Some species host tiny shrimp among the pinnules.

## Northeast Atlantic rocky reefs

Antedon bifida lives from Norway to the Mediterranean on rocks and wrecks. Daytime they cling in current-swept sites.

## Living fossil, stable stock

Least Concern with broad range. Crinoids dominated Paleozoic seas; feather stars are their reduced, mobile descendants.

## Frequently asked questions

### Are feather stars related to starfish?

Both are echinoderms, but crinoids sit on a separate branch with filter-feeding arms on a stalk base.

### Can feather stars swim?

Some species pulse arms to swim short distances, but Antedon usually crawls with cirri.

### What do feather stars eat?

Plankton and organic particles filtered from water currents.

### Why are crinoids called living fossils?

Their body plan dates back hundreds of millions of years with few changes.

### Where do common feather stars live?

Rocky subtidal habitats in the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean.

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/feather-star/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.