Five pelicans glide across the water in a perfect line. They fly

just above the surface. Wing tip to wing tip, their feathers nearly touch . -...~

Suddenly, the birds turn and fly out to sea. Then one by one, they plunge

headfirst into the ocean, snatching up fish in their large, pouched bills .

Thousands of kilometers away, a small bird dances alone above the

farm fields of southern Asia . It dips and soars like a beautiful kite. Bright

blue wings flash . This bird is showing off as it looks for a mate. It's called

an Indian roller because of its fancy flights.

After dark, an owl prowls the night. It has a ghostly white face and

sharp talons. Its soft-edged feathers are made for quiet flight. The mouse

in the grass below doesn't hear the owl swoop down until it's too late.

These birds are different. Yet they all have something in common­

feathers. Discover how birds use their feathers to fly, run, swim, and more.

Fuzzy 'athe'~ • Fancy or drab, feathers cover most of a

bird's body. Some chickens even have

feathered feet! In fact, birds are the only

animals with feathers. That's what makes

them birds. Feathers can help a bird fly.

They can keep it warm and dry. Feathers

can also help a bird find a mate, hide from

predators, or avoid a sunburn.

When most baby birds hatch, they don't

have many feathers. Some have just a bit of

fuzz. Feathers quickly grow even before the

babies know what to do with them.

All feathers are light, yet strong and

flexible. They are made of a protein called

keratin. That's the same substance in beaks

and human hair.

Not all feathers are the same. Some are

tiny, no bigger than an eyelash. A peacock's

flashy tail feathers can grow 1.5 meters

(5 feet) long. Most birds have several kinds

of feathers. Each kind has a different job.

An adult king penguin stands out among these

Fuzz Start closest to a bird's body. There, soft,

fluffy feathers keep a bird warm, even in

the cold and wind. These down feathers

trap air close to the bird's body. Body heat

warms the air, creating a layer of insulation.

A bird's bigger, outer feathers are called

contour feathers. Tiny hooks cover these

feathers. A bird can "zip" them together.

That protects it from rain, snow, and other

bad weather. It also locks feathers in place,

so they don't bend as they move. That can

help a bird smoothly soar through the air

or dive through the water.

Some contour feathers, called flight

feathers, grow on a bird's wings and tail.

Birds need these feathers to fly. They can

change the shape of a bird's wings and tail

so it can take off, land, dive, or glide.

10 To fly, a bird needs more than feathers. It

needs wings. A wing is shaped to fly. The

top curves. The under part is flat. As a bird

flies, its wings slice through the air. Air

pushes and pulls the bird, keeping it aloft.

Here's how it works. Air moves faster

over the curved top of the wing. That lowers

the air pressure above the wing. It also

pulls the wing up. Slower air and greater

air pressure under the wing push it up. The

bird gets the lift it needs to rise into the sky

and stay there.

Not all birds fly the same way. Some

flap. Some plunge. Some hover. Flying

style depends on a bird's pattern of flight

feathers and the shape and size of its wings.

brown, downy chicks. flashy: eye-catching

20

~'Ii~h Pattrrns Giant wings let a bird soar like a kite. With

wings that can stretch 3.4 meters (11.2 feet),

an albatross is a soaring champ. It rides the

wind for hours without flapping its wings.

Short, rounded wings let a bird take off

fast. That comes in handy for birds like

pheasants that spend a lot of time on the

ground. They erupt with a powerful flap of

feathers to escape predators like fox.

Narrow, pointed wings let a peregrine

falcon race after prey. It flies as fast as

112 kilometers (69 miles) per hour. Then

it tucks its wings close to its body to dive,

snatching its meal out of mid-air.

A hummingbird's smail, light wings let

it dart forward, stop, and hover. Unlike

other birds, it can fly backward, too. That's

because a hummingbird can rotate, or turn,

the bones in its wings. So it can flap its

wings up and down and forward and back. A kingfisher uses its powerfu l wings to ri se

out of the water after diving for fish.

Tail Feathers Wings don't do all the work when it comes

to flight. Take a look at a bird's tail feathers .

They help it stay in the air, steer, and, when

it's time to land, slow down.

A Cooper's hawk zigzags through the

forest, narrowly avoiding trees while

chasing a smaller bird. As the hawk turns,

its tail twists, too. It steers the hawk this

way and that. As a hummingbird hovers,

it spreads out its tail feathers. Now air

pushes against more of the bird. The fanned

feathers give the hummingbird extra lift.

Many birds also spread out their tail

feathers when they come in for a landing.

The bird's tail isn't streamlined any more.

Instead of air rushing by the tail, air smacks

into it. That helps the bird slow down. Now

it can alight easily on a branch or wire,

instead of coming in for a crash landing!

alight: land

22 N ATIONAL G EOGRAPHIC EXTREME EXPLORER

Fancy Feathers A bird's feathers do more than help it fly

and land. They also can help a bird find a

mate. Take a peacock. It normally drags

its long tail feathers behind it. But when

a female (called a peahen) is nearby, the

peacock spreads its tail feathers like a big

fan. They rattle and whoosh. The brilliant

green and blue feathers quiver.

A male bird of paradise uses fancy

feathers to put on a show, too. Some of its

feathers look like ribbons and streamers.

Others look like a crown. The bird dances.

It fluffs out its feathers and poses. It flaps

and even hangs upside down.

Many female birds aren't nearly as

colorful as the male birds. Think of a

cardinal. The male is bright red. The

female is drab brown. Her feather color is

important, too, though. As she sits quietly

on a nest of eggs, it's much harder for a

predator to spot her.

Feathpre but Flightlr.ss Having feathers doesn't always mean a bird

can fly. In fact, some can't. Luckily, they

have other ways to get around. A penguin

can swim. Its short, thick feathers help

keep its skin dry. An ostrich's body is too

heavy for takeoff. It uses its fluffy wings for

balance as it runs.

These two birds may be the best-known

flightless birds. Another is the kakapo. This

big, green parrot lives on an island in New

Zealand. It's called an owl parrot because it

only goes out at night.

Its feathers act like a cat's whiskers. When

they brush up against objects in the dark,

they help the kakapo find its way. It's hard

to spot a kakapo in the dark, but you might

smell one. A kakapo smells like honey.

From flight to creating a colorful sight,

birds use their feathers in many different

ways. Yet one thing is true. Fancy or not,

feathers are what makes a bird a bird.

WORDWISE air pressure: pressure caused

by the weight of air

contour feather: feather on the outermost part

of a bird's body

down feather: feather closest to a bird's body

and used for insulation

flight feather: feather on a bird's wing or tail

that helps it fly

keratin: protein that forms feathers

lift: upward-acting force

Ostriches have big feathers, but can't fly.

These big birds are too heavy to get off

the ground.