birdsoup

Ask a group of young children what makes birds different from all other creatures on earth. Their enthusiastic response will be that birds can fly. That is true and being able to fly is kind of neat. But the ability to fly is not unique to birds. Other creatures also fly: bats, butterflies, moths, dragonflies, and other insects. There are even flying fish and flying squirrels. And don’t forget mosquitoes.

Another good guess is that birds lay eggs. That is also true but also wrong. Fish and frogs lay eggs, as do many insects, dragonflies, as well as butterflies and crocodiles.

What makes birds truly unique are feathers.  No other creature has feathers. Except maybe angels but you won’t see them in your backyard unless you are very spiritual.

Feathers offer many advantages for birds. First they are lightweight. Feathers are the symbol of lightness and weight is critically important for flying. Any extra weight requires extra energy. A typical sparrow may have over 3,000 feathers but still only weighs about ½ ounce. Despite being lightweight feathers are very strong and very flexible. If damaged or bent out of shape they can be easily repaired.

Feathers provide fantastic insulation. If you have ever owned a down jacket you understand how, despite the light weight, the jacket is incredibly warm. Feathers allow chickadees to survive sub-zero temperatures without a coat and allow ducks to swim for hours on the surface of a semi-frozen pond without getting cold. Feathers are quite waterproof. Water rolls off the surface of a feather without soaking in. This keeps birds dry in rain and snow storms and allows ducks and other waterfowl to float for hours without getting water-logged and sinking. And, of course, feathers help protect a bird’s skin from injuries.

More about feathers next time when I will answer the questions you are just dying to ask. Are their different kinds of feathers for different birds? How many feathers does a hummingbird have versus an eagle? Do birds have more feathers in winter? Do feathers wear out? What makes them so strong?