Feather Science
Written by: Richard K. Simpson

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Flashcard facts and information about feathers

Biology Bits stories are a great way for you to learn about biology a little bit at a time. We’ve broken down information into pieces that are very tiny—bite-sized biology cards. Cutting out the cards will let you organize them however you want, or use them as flashcards while you read.

This set of bits will teach you about the many ways birds use one of their finest features: feathers. To learn more about the science behind feathers, visit Feather Biology.

Play the slide show from the beginning or pick a slide to begin with by clicking on a slide below.

A brown featherA woodpecker illustrationAn illustration of a peacock-style featherA diagram showing how lift works on a wingAn illustration of a goose flying, showing the direction of thrust and airflow.An illustration of four of the six types of feathers.An illustration showing up-close feather anatomy.Illustrations of bird claws and a bird beak.An illustration of a humminbird with a blue and green body and a ruby red throat.A cartoon silhouette of a person's head while they are talking.

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