Ducks, swans and geese dive and tip underwater in search of food, but they never get wet through to the skin. They coat their feathers with oil from a special gland and constantly preen to keep feathers overlapping like tiles on a roof. Because of the size and position of their eyes, ducks can see everything around them for approximately 340 degrees without turning their heads.
Feathers make up about one-sixth of a bird s weight.
Hummingbirds have the fewest feathers, some having less than 1,000. Some swans have more than 25,000. Birds are the only animals with feathers. When you look at a perched bird, most of the feathers you see are small ones that give its body a warm, smooth covering. When flying, birds show the larger, stiffer wing feathers used for flight.