Feathers: Form and Function

Summary The feather is one of the most iconic symbols of nature. Feathers are indispensable to birds, serving many critically important functions. In this episode, we explore those functions after looking closely at the anatomy—the structure—of a feather. We discuss the 6 types of feathers: contour feathers, flight feathers, down, semiplumes, bristles, and filoplumes. Some functions we explore are flight, insulation, and camouflage. Links of Interest Hairs, feathers and scales have a ...