The answer is not as simple as saying, “because birds fly.” Birds such as penguins, emus and kiwis don’t fly at all despite having complex feathers. But most birds do fly, and their entire bodies, ...

We heard a thin, high-pitched sound repeated several times while walking up a snow-covered hill in a spruce forest. Could it be a golden-crowned kinglet surviving in these sub-freezing temperatures?

Each Canada goose that you see flying around in formation around Lancaster County these days has between 20,000 and 25,000 feathers, most hidden from sight. A typical songbird at your backyard feeder ...

Feathers define birds. Other critters, like insects, fly; but no other critter wears feathers. And what amazing structures they are, these feathers. They allow birds to fly, perform mating displays, ...

You are able to gift 5 more articles this month. Anyone can access the link you share with no account required. Learn more. A down feather illustrates the varied assortment of barbs that allow it to ...

At first glance, feathers may seem like simple parts of a bird’s body. But if you look closer—under a microscope or through a scientific lens—they reveal an intricate story of evolution, biology, and ...

Bird tails are complex structures that give us clues about bird flight and bird behavior. Knowing the variety of tail patterns helps us to identify birds, so let's talk bird tails. A bird's tail ...

Feathers are a sleek, intricate evolutionary innovation that makes flight possible for birds, but in addition to their stiff, aerodynamic feathers used for flight, birds also keep a layer of soft, ...

The genes that caused scales to become feathers in the early ancestors of birds have been found by US scientists. By expressing these genes in embryo alligator skin, the researchers caused the ...

If you took a careful look at the feathers on a chicken, you'd find many different forms within the same bird -- even within a single feather. The diversity of feather shapes and functions expands ...

GENEVA — From dinosaur fuzz to eagle wings, evolution spent over 100 million years perfecting the feather. Now, Swiss scientists have found a way to reverse this process in the lab, causing chicken ...