Osteoclasts arise by proliferation, differentiation, and subsequent fusion of marrow‐derived precursors, all processes requiring attachment to matrix. Integrins are important mediators of cell‐matrix recognition and bone is rich in proteins containing the Arg‐Gly‐Asp motif, recognized primarily by α_v integrins. Thus, we determined if avian osteoclast precursors express integrins capable of mediating initial attachment to matrix proteins. Early, marrow‐derived osteoclast precursors, when first isolated, contain no detectable α_vβ₃, but express an α_v integrin with an 80 kDa associated β subunit. Immunoprecipitation with an antibody raised against the conserved β₅ cytoplasmic tail sequence indicates the the α_v associated the integrin is α_vβ₅. Retinoic acid is a resorptive steroid, and its exposure to early osteoclast precursors prompts a time‐ and dose‐dependent decrease in α_vβ₅ expression, while simultaneously stimulating α_vβ₃ expression. Northern analysis reveals that retinoic acid decreases β₅ steady‐state mRNA, nontranscriptionally, without altering that of α_v. The finding α_vβ₅ expression decreases under the influence of retinoic acid, an osteoclastogenic steroid, while those of α_vβ₃ rise, suggests that these closely related integrins play separate and complementary roles during osteoclast differentiation.