• Question: What are the main reasons that birds have feathers?

    Asked by Alex A to Rupert, Ines, Ellen, Cedric, Carrie on 7 Mar 2017.
    • Photo: Ellen Williams

      Ellen Williams answered on 7 Mar 2017:

      Good question! I am not a bird specialist so hope the others will correct me if i am wrong but I think birds have feathers for two main reasons:
      – to allow them to fly
      – to offer their bodies protection (keep them warm etc – same way fur helps mammals and clothes help us)

      They also of course use their feathers in courtship and mating displays but that may just be making use of their feathers rather than a reason for the feathers being there 🙂

    • Photo: Rupert Marshall

      Rupert Marshall answered on 7 Mar 2017:

      Birds have feathers instead of hair. If you think you’ve seen a hairy bird, they’re actually just very thin, fine feathers. Feathers are made of keratin – which is like the stuff your nails are made from. Most animals have hair to keep them warm and sometimes to keep out water. Feathers are the same. Plus they help keep eggs warm – some birds pluck their chest feathers to line their nests. And of course it would be difficult for birds to fly without feathers. Reptile scales are made from a similar type of keratin. And the first bird-like dinosaurs had feathers – the best known is Archeopteryx.
      Coloured feathers can be important for camouflage, so that predators can’t find them, and also for attractinga mate: think of peacocks.
      If you want to know more, there’s lots of great information on bird feathers here: http://www.thewildclassroom.com/biodiversity/birds/aviantopics/feathersandPlumage.html

    • Photo: Ines Goncalves

      Ines Goncalves answered on 12 Mar 2017:

      Hi Alex. First of all, I think birds have feathers to keep themselves warm. Our hairs in particular are quite poor at that job, but mammals have fur also to keep them warm. The second reason for feathers is that it allows birds to fly. Birds have different kinds of feathers, check this page for details on how different feathers are depending on their function: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=15+1829&aid=2776

    • Photo: Carrie Ijichi

      Carrie Ijichi answered on 13 Mar 2017:

      Rupert is the expert on birds so i think I’d rely on his answer. Really cool question

    • Photo: Cedric Tan

      Cedric Tan answered on 14 Mar 2017:

      The feathers are needed for lift during takeoff, help us stay up in the air and glide down smoothly during landing.

      Feathers are also important in keeping their bodies warm, and in some species, the parents own their own feathers as part of the nest to keep their babies warm.

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