### covering:

Feather
* All feathers also provide heat retention and some are waterproof.
* All feathers are from birds that are molting or that died of natural causes
  - light and many capture the air due to their shape
* Many feathers are iridescent and require sunlight to show colors.
* Most feathers are made of keratin
  - come from birds
  - cover tails
  - create surfaces
  - form layers
* Most feathers have brown color
  - centers
* Most feathers have dark brown centers
  - spots
  - fringes
  - functions
  - pigment
  - specific functions
  - spines
  - tips
  - help heat
* Most feathers look like bird feathers
  - lose insulate ability
* Most feathers make up beautiful plumages
  - provide insulation
  - serve as insulation
* Some feathers absorb water
  - change color
  - come from parrots
* Some feathers consist of barbs
  - shafts
* Some feathers cover bellies
  - feet
  - wings
  - experience air resistance
  - feature shafts
* Some feathers have barbs
  - barbules without barbicels
  - both pennaceous and plumaceous portions
  - brown centers extending toward the base and contrasting light tan tips and edges
  - dots
  - egg teeth
  - many colors
  - patterns
  - stripes
  - structures
  - tiny slits
  - unique patterns
  - yellowish stripes
  - help growth
  - produce heat
  - protect nostrils
  - provide stability
* Some feathers radiate body heat
* Some feathers use in natural products
* Still Fly.
* act as insulation and allow for flight.
* also allow emus to regulate temperature and cope with extreme changes in weather
  - come in a dazzling array of colors, shapes and sizes
  - fade in light
  - function to control air movements around the wing
  - give off dander, plus they serve as a food source for dust mites
  - help to waterproof a bird's body
  - protect birds from UV light
  - provide waterproofing and protection, and are crucial for flight
  - work to keep water out, keeping birds dry in the rain
* apparently are very effective as detectors of microwave radiation.
* appear through the down at about eighteen days.
* are a facinating product
  - favored item for softening the nest interior
  - gift from the sky spirits
  - lightweight way to stay warm and help the bird maneuver through the air
  - natural by-product
  - actually complex branched skin appendages
  - aerodynamic beauties
* are an adaptation of reptilian scales
  - apomorphy for birds
  - another source of sensitivity in the home
  - clean and sanitized
  - complex, designed structures required for flight, and are today found only on birds
  - composed of a shaft with several long thin structures called barbs
  - cracks of various sizes
  - enriched with amino acids
  - good insulators because they help the birds trap warm air around their skin
  - great insulation which is good for cold weather but bad for hot weather
* are highly modified scales, and are important in several ways
  - probable in the advanced bird-like theropods
* are important in keeping birds warm
  - to keep penguins warm and to keep cold water from touching their skin
  - lightweight, durable, and in some cases waterproof
* are located in bids
  - cages
  - caps
  - feather dusters
  - hats
  - pillows
* are made of beta-keratin, a protein similar to the keratin of reptile scales
  - out of keratin, the same protein found in hair and nails
  - most important in thermoregulation, locomotion, and communication
* are natural and Rings are leather wrapped in black, brown, or tan
  - with no dyes used
  - necessary for flight, insulation, and courtship displays
  - of course also necessary for flight and for gliding and soaring
* are one of the most prominent features of a bird's anatomy, and they are unique to birds
  - thing that makes a bird a bird
  - ostrich feathers unless otherwise noted
  - outgrowths of the skin which are nourished by blood vessels
* are part of birds
  - rowing
  - rotation
  - scales which have been elongated and raised as large planar structures
  - solid objects
  - strong as a result of a vane center, however, feathers have little softness value
  - symbols of loftier ideals
* are the diagnostic feature of modern birds
  - feature that most clearly distinguishes the birds from their dinosaur ancestors
  - one most distinguishing characteristic of birds
  - tremendous insulators
  - unaffected by ultra-violet rays
  - uniquely avian
* are used for decoration
  - very popular decorations for hats
* basically serve as the bird's protection.
* become worn with use and are usually replaced every year.
* begin growth from under the skin in a blood rich 'quill'.
* can effectively mask even severe emaciation or abdominal distention
  - reflect diet or environment
  - serve a variety of purposes
  - then become waterlogged, causing the bird to sink
* cling to beards.
* colored by pigments range from crow black to canary yellow and cardinal red.
  - chicks
  - in pairs, and an archer's pair is three
* compose the largest portion of the protein requirements of birds.
* consist of interlocking microscopic structures that are light, but very strong.
* contain huge quantities of the sulphur containing amino acids.
* continue to be added during egg laying and incubation
  - expand daily
* do many jobs for birds.
* do, however, seem to be mostly a theropod trait.
* enable a bird to fly and help it maintain a constant body temperature.
* end in indentations.
* extend down to the legs, sometimes to the talons.
* form from the epidermis
* further serve as great displays, especially when courting.
* generate their own light and color effects.
* give birds colour
  - cranes both the ability to fly and to regulate their temperature
* grow from well defined feather tracts called pterylae
  - individually from tube-like follicles similar to hair follicles
  - out of skin follicles, just as human hair does
  - quickly and are then sealed off at the base
* have a central shaft with a vane or web on either side
  - number of utilitarian, cultural and religious uses
  - and incredible varieties of colors, textures, shapes and sizes
  - appearances
  - greenish sheen
  - no more smell than down feathers
  - purple sheen
  - their own rigidity and make up the wing blade
* help a bird fly
  - keep birds warm and dry
* includes barbs
* insulate the bird from the sun's heat and protect it from the cold.
* keep body heat in, allowing the body to decompose faster
  - the bird insulated, weather proofed, and they even help a bird find a mate
* lose ability
* make birds unique animals.
* make up about one-sixth of a bird s weight
* mean change, so when a person dies, they are usually used in the funeral.
* offer extra protection
* only go so far to keep a chicken warm, and even ducks can only take so much cold.
* originate in a skin layer deep under the outer layer that forms scales.
* perform a number of functions for a bird
  - variety of functions, including aerodynamics, insulation, camouflage and display
* prevent birds from getting too wet, and are an important part of their wings.
* protect a bird's skin and help it keep warm.
* provide a light, warm coat
  - insulation and aid in flight
* replace their down coats in three to five weeks.
* ruffled by the chilly wind, eagles also have the munchies.
  - dual purposes
* smell when wet.
* spread as waters wash to naked flesh.
* swirl in the air where snowflakes used to fall.
* usually cover the body, protecting the skin and providing insulation.
+ Feather, Colour: Animal anatomy
  * Feathers give birds colour. The function of colour in birds is extremely important.