If I wasn’t there, birds wouldn’t fly
I make them look beautiful, I keep them warm and dry
Now quickly guess and tell, Who am I ?

Feather…. Correct!

All birds have feathers that form a covering on their body. The feathers on the outside are called vaned feathers. These feathers have a hard center, with hair like projection on the side. The feathers in the birds tail help them change directions during the flight.

Bird babies have very small soft feathers called down feathers. They keep them warm but can’t help them fly. That’s one of the reasons why tiny bird babies can’t fly. Do you want to know how bird babies learn to fly?

Birds shed their feathers at certain times so that they can get new ones instead of used old ones. This process is called moulting. Quite beauty conscious I must say.

Feathers are essential to birds for flying. But along with that there are many other ways in which feathers help the birds. Sometimes feathers are extremely colorful that make the bird look very pretty and also help in camouflage (hide within the surroundings).

Fuzzy, hairy and soft feathers help in keeping birds warm. Sometimes birds put their moulted feathers while weaving a nest so that the nest is cozy enough for their babies. Also, a lot of times feathers protect the bird from injuries.

Can you believe that such a tiny little light thing can be so useful?