When most people think of adaptation, they think of genetic adaptation, which is the feature of an organism to pass on physical traits onto its offspring. These traits develop based on an environmental need (e.g., the famous example of water-based life developing lungs and feet to live on the surface), and are passed on through DNA. Genetic adaptations also are known as mutations, and in complex organisms they often can take thousands or millions of years to develop; in simpler organisms (such as viruses), genetic adaptations can occur much faster.
Learning bias is a form of adaptation that does not involve a physical change in an organism, but instead is a widespread behavioral change amongst the species. One clear example of a learning bias is how several different subspecies (e.g., pigs, cows and dogs) evolved behaviors that allowed them to be domesticated by human beings, and thus ensure them long-term security in their habitats. Learning bias also can be known as "inductive bias," though inductive bias has applications beyond evolution and adaptation.
Cultural adaptation is a form of adaptation that only affects a subgroup (e.g., a small population size) of a population, as opposed to being applicable to the species as a whole. Cultural adaptations are often observed when a species evolves in an isolated location, such as the Galapagos Islands. Additionally, human beings are ripe for cultural adaptations, as they have spread all across the globe, and thus certain societies have had to evolve certain behaviors for their environment.
There are some attributes that are mistakenly assumed to be adaptation. An adaptation must remain used by an organism, thus vestigial organs (organs which an organism no longer needs) are not considered adaptations. Vestigial organs include wisdom teeth in human beings and wings on flightless birds, like chickens. Additionally, adaptations must occur over a period of time; any trait that an organism learns that they do not pass down to their offspring is not considered an adaptation.