Feathers of birdsby Andrzej Krupiński

Feathers of birds

Function feather;Structure feather;Type feather;Fluffy feather;Cover feather;RECTRICES;Pinton;Curiosty;

Body of birds cover feathers. Only birds have feather. They have well-considered construction,

a lot of colours of feathers, variety of

bodies –that's what nature gave for birds.

Feather of birds protect them from cold, warm, water, lure the partner.

The most important they serve to fly. Every feather

has other function. The smallest and the softest are downy feather. They grow near the body are light and downy. They

protect birds from losing warm. They are almost

invisible.

Feather is built from elastic axis and two flags: outside and inside. Up part of axis of feather has shape quadrangular has a name toxina (stosina in polish), down part of axis of feather has shape oval which is below flag has a name rachis.

Inside part of rachis is built from softly scales and has name soul. Flags of feather are built from rays which grow both side of rachis. Rays and growing from them smaller rays are connected by softly hooks.

There are four main

types of feathers: FLIGHT FEATHER-

They create carrying surface of feathers;

one bird has from 30 to 98( birds have long

wings); they are 3 types of flight

feathers, in order from top of wing:

in the first placein the second place

And in the third place.

- RECTRICES- COVER FEATHER- DOWNY FEATHER

They fulfil as heat insulation, they are very sensitive for dampness. Cover feathers block tightly water to birds.

They are important because birds use them to turn and stop before landing on the earth. Rectrices (sterówki) are counter- weight when birds go on the earth, jump on the branches.

In Smithsonian Institution in In Smithsonian Institution in Washington works Ms. Roxie Washington works Ms. Roxie

Laybourne. From 40 years Laybourne. From 40 years she studies feathers. She has she studies feathers. She has

collection thousand of collection thousand of specimens. Every bird has specimens. Every bird has some specific feature of some specific feature of feathers. She can define feathers. She can define

species of bird on the base of species of bird on the base of its feathers.its feathers. She is asking She is asking

often to identify bird which often to identify bird which cause crash plane. She is cause crash plane. She is really „Detective of birds”.really „Detective of birds”.

Feathers use up and for some time are destroyed and couldn’t be functional. Birds can broke the feather and lose it in fight with predator .Birds experience molt, some birds all the year (parrot) other at the certain time in the year.