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A shuttlecock is 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 depicting typical yellow nylon shuttlecock).
For most casual players, this has been replaced by a shuttlecock made using a plastic (usually nylon) or rubber head and a plastic (usually nylon) skirt. The feather shuttlecock is still used by "serious" players and for competitions.
The shuttlecock is also called a birdie, bird, or shuttle. The shuttle part of its name was probably derived from its back and forth motion, like the shuttle in a loom, and the cock from the feathers of the traditional shuttlecock, like a bird’s crest.