Made from the same material as our nails and hair, bird feathers are made up of keratin . This material is very strong and at the same time light, hence its suitability for flight (in addition to the hollow and strong bones that come standard). However, as you will be able to see later in the photo gallery that we have prepared, feathers not only help birds to get off the ground but also have a good amount of functionality. At this point, it is logical to think that they cannot all be the same and, indeed, they are not.
Different functions, different forms
The feathers intended for flight are long , strong and with a characteristic shape in which one half (longitudinally speaking) is conspicuously wider than the other. This shape allows the birds to cut through the air with very little resistance.
The feathers that help the bird maintain temperature are soft and fluffy. They are the smallest of all and have a cottony appearance. It is the well-known down.
There are others, called semi-feathers that, in addition to preventing the animal from losing heat, help it to float. The semi-feather is visibly smaller than those of wing and tail, in addition to having more loose barbs (those of flight are more straight).
More uses for pens
Don’t you think feathers are all nature’s ingenuity? Well, in addition to the functionalities that we have already revealed, there are feathers that are used to dive and swim , to walk through the snow , to protect from the sun and wind, help digest fish, conquer winged damsels (and if not, ask yourself? the male bird of paradise that lives in New Guinea) and even to direct sounds to the ears . This last utility occurs, among others, in owls and is carried out by the characteristic brushes that these birds of prey look upright on their heads and that, no, they are not their ears but “simple” feathers that direct the sound where they should so that the hey bird.
