A Feathered Introduction: Feathers are one of nature's really neat inventions, and serve many important functions for the birds who wear them. All birds have them, and each will produce hundreds of them throughout their lifespan. Each feather is made up of thousands of tiny, hooked strands that zip together off of a hollow main shaft. Birds keep them in tip-top condition by "preening" them. Preening is a very important social behavior, and birds will spend hours grooming themselves and one another. Most birds will gradually shed, or "moult" their feathers every year--replacing tattered old feathers with strong new ones. New feathers emerge through a bird's skin encased in a waxy coating, which protects the feather as it grows. This stage of feather growth is called "pinning". Baby birds in "pin feather" stage can look really strange! Eventually this coating breaks away and a new, shiny feather is formed. Light, flexible, waterproof and durable, there are many types of feathers on an individual bird. Long, strong flight feathers are located on the wing, while the body is covered with finer, wider feathers. Tail feathers can be short and broad or long and wide, depending on the species. Closest to the skin are "down" feathers, which are tiny, fluffy feathers that keep birds insulated. Many birds have colorful, ornamental feathers on their heads and tails that can be raised and spread for dramatic displays to attract mates or scare away predators. Peacocks are famous for their spectacular tail feathers! Many birds have been hunted to extinction because of their beautiful feathers. The Carolina Parakeet is a classic example. This colorful, small parrot once flocked in the thousands in the United States. Unfortunately, it was shot for its brightly colored gold and green feathers, which were used in ladies hats and other fashion items. The last Carolina Parakeet died in a zoo in 1940. Native tribes all over the world use feathers in headdresses and ceremonial clothing. In fact, feathers are considered so valuable by some tribes that they use them as currency, just as we use paper money! You name the color, and there is a feather to match it. Some birds are living rainbows of colors, especially parrots. So, the next time you find a feather on the ground, try to figure out what kind of feather it is, and who it came from. You can learn a lot about a bird from just one single feather! Feathered Facts Creature Feature: The Ground Hornbill The prehistoric-looking ground hornbill of Africa is certainly one of nature's most unique creatures. There are two species--the Abyssinian ground hornbill, Bucorvus abyssinicus, meaning large raven-like bird, and the Southern ground hornbill, Bucorvus leadbetteri. Found in subsaharan Africa, the ground hornbill has deep black feathers, with white feathers on its wings which are only displayed in flight. They average about a four-to-six foot wingspan and can weigh up to nine pounds. The ground hornbill spends most of its time--well--on the ground! They fly only rarely to avoid predators or move over tall grass. They spend their days in the brush foraging for bugs, lizards, and small reptiles, and roost at night in the low branches of local trees. A face only a mother could love... Like all hornbills, ground hornbills has a very unique beak and face. The beak is large, dark and slightly curved, and they have a low, bony ridge, or "casque" on their forhead. One of the species most colorful characteristic is the bare face and throat patches that both the male and the female have. The throat patch is inflatable, and the males will inflate their throats when displaying to attract a female. The males bare skin turns a deep red when mature, while the females turn bright blue. Both the male and the female have long, curly eyelashes framing their large, yellow-colored eyes. Females lay eggs in the hollows of trees, and raise only one or two babies a year. The babies rely on their parents to feed and care for them untill they are able to leave the nest and learn to find food on their own. Unfortunately, these birds are dissappearing in the wild due primarily to habitat loss. For more information about these wonderfully weird birds visit Whozoo. More Feathered Facts: One half of all parrot species are threatened or endangered. If the 50 most endangered parrots are protected, over 500 million acres of rainforest will also be protected. Parrots have 500 pounds per square inch of pressure in their beaks! This super strength enables them to break open tough rainforest nuts like Brazil and palm nuts. Parrots use their feet as we use our hands to hold and manipulate nuts, fruit and seeds. They also have no salivary glands--so their mouths are dry--and they use their rubbery tongue like a thumb to help pop nuts out of their shells. Clean up on Buffalo #3... What in the world are these birds doing? Yellow-billed and red-billed oxpeckers, relatives of starlings, are found only in Africa. Over time, these tiny birds have developed a symbiotic relationship with a variety of mammals including rhioncerous; hippos; zebra; giraffe; and buffalo (pictured). A symbiotic relationship is a close association between two organizms in which at least one of them benefits. Measuring seven to eight inches in length, the oxpecker feeds on more than 20 speices of ticks that live on the hides of large mammals. The bird will spend most of its time on an animal removing ticks and parasites, which make up the bulk of its diet. They even sleep on the backs of their hosts. Both the oxpecker and its host benefit from this relationship, with the oxpecker recieving food and protection from the host, and the host gets its parasites removed. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship... No Fly Zone...All birds have feathers, but not all birds fly. Ostriches, emus, penguins and kiwis (just to name a few) all have feathers, but none of these birds can fly. Each has adapted and evolved according to their environment, and over time they've lost flight capability. Instead, they walk, run and swim for their food and nest on or under the ground. Owl feathers are very different than those of other birds. Because they catch their prey while flying, owls have developed flight feathers that are frayed on the edges, which minimizes any sound their wings may produce, making it easier for them to silently swoop down on their favorite meal--mice and rats. The hummingbird is the only bird that can hover, fly backwards, and fly upside down. Photo courtesy of Wayne Owen. Eggs-traordinary Facts: All birds lay eggs. The elephant bird, an extinct flightless bird from Madagascar, also known as the giant bird or roc, laid the largest known eggs. Some measured as much as 13.5 inches in length, and 9.5 inches in diameter! The largest egg produced by any living bird is that of the ostrich. Their average egg is six to eight inches in length and four to six inches in width. The smallest mature egg, measuring less than 0.39 inch in length, is that of the vervian hummingbird of Jamaica. The Kiwi bird of New Zealand lays the largest egg, relative to body size, of any living bird. Its egg weighs up to one pound, and can occupy over one third of the bird's body cavity! Migrating Mania: The arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) migrates the longest distance of any bird. They breed from subarctic regions to the very limits of land in the arctic of North America and Eurasia. At the end of the northern summer, the arctic tern leaves the north on a migration of more than 11,000 miles to its southern home in Antarctica. Before and After... Can you believe these two pictures are of the same bird? The image on the left is of a newly hatched hawk-headed parrot (Deroptyus accipitrinus) and the one on the right is the same bird all grown up! Parrot chicks hatch blind, featherless, and completely helpless. They rely 100% on their parents to feed them regurgitated fruits, nuts and seeds around the clock. By the way, regurgitate means--um--throw up! Both parents will take turns caring for the chicks, which can number up to four per clutch. The babies usually have all their feathers in about a month, and eventually they will leave the nest to learn how to find food by watching thier parents--who by then are pretty tired of babysitting! Join the Flock: A group of birds in general is called a congregation, flight, flock, volery, or volley. Here are a few individual bird group names: Parakeets travel in a chatter; chickens flock, run, brood or clutch; crows murder; eagles like a convocation while gulls prefer a colony; hawks cast; jays form a band; peacocks muster; swans like to herd and woodpeckers travel in a descent! Check back soon--more facts are on the way!

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