Have you ever seen a bird foraging in the rain and wondered why it isnt soaked to the bone? While every bird wears one feather coat, different kinds of feathers – and even different parts of the same feather – can perform various functions. The outermost tips of the main body feathers, called the contour feathers, are built so that the feather surface forms a fine, breathable but water-resistant mesh. This water-repellent property allows the downy bases of the same contour feathers, and other completely downy feathers, to stay dry underneath, allowing them to trap warm air. Dont you wish we had such warm, dry, light, great-looking coats?
They might take cover during a drenching downpour, but when it showers all day, they still have to brave it and find food. [Black-capped Chickadee call]
Chickadees still fly to feeders for sunflower seeds, right through a cold winter rain. Fortunately, a bird’s outer layers of body feathers, known as contour feathers, prevent rain from penetrating toward its core. The fine structure of contour feathers interlocks each feather with the next, creating a barrier to water, and keeping it from reaching the down feathers where birds trap air for warming insulation. [Black-capped Chickadee call, http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/98802, 0.08-.12]
Many birds also apply an oil to their feathers while preening, using their bills to spread oil from a gland at the base of the tail. The oil isn’t so much a waterproofing substance as a conditioning lubricant that keeps feathers supple, allowing their fine structure to mesh and repel water. Birds that dont have an oil gland, like some parrots*, grow special down feathers that disintegrate into a very fine, waxy substance called powder down. When preened onto the contour feathers, powder down also helps repel water.
So bring on the rain! It’s warm and dry under those feathers. [Black-capped Chickadee song: http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/191262, 0.10-.15]
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Call of the Black-capped Chickadee [191262] recorded by R S Little; song of the Black-capped Chickadee [98802] recorded by G A Keller. BirdNotes theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler. Producer: John Kessler Executive Producer: Dominic Black © 2015 Tune In to Nature.org January 2018/2019/2021 Narrator: Mary McCann ID# feather-03-2015-01-26feather-03
* Editors note: Only SOME parrots produce “powder down” — cockatoos, cockatiels, and a few other species, like grey parrots. Most other parrots, such as the lories, macaws, and Amazons, have a preen gland that produces oil.
Birds do fly in the rain, even though I gave you the impression in the opening paragraph that they were carrying a heavier load. But as you might expect, birds do have some tricks up their sleeves—or wings—to avoid problems caused by rain. When the heavens open, this is how they stay in the air:
Birds have hollow bones, which help them lose just the right amount of weight to enable them to fly. Increased weight may mean the difference between a bird’s success and failure to take to the air. Envision a bird caught in the rain, drenched to the bone. They become heavier on their wings and body if their feathers get wet. Will it be able to fly?.
Certain birds, such as seagulls and ducks, can swim and paddle in the water. Seagulls dive under the surface of the water to look for fish. Still, we must keep in mind that the feathers are not entirely waterproof. Except in extreme cases, birds don’t fly in the rain for extended periods of time. The feathers may become wet from prolonged flying in the rain during a downpour. This may cause the bird’s body temperature to drop, leading to hypothermia.
Sounds of birds provided by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York’s Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds R S Little recorded the Black-capped Chickadee’s call (191262), and G A Keller recorded the bird’s song (98802). Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler composed and performed the theme music for BirdNotes. © 2015 Tune In to Nature Producer: John Kessler Executive Producer: Dominic Black org January 2018/2019/2021 Narrator: Mary McCann ID# feather-03-2015-01-26feather-03.
They have to brave the rain and find food even though they might seek cover during a torrential downpour. [Black-capped Chickadee call].
Chickadees still fly to feeders for sunflower seeds, right through a cold winter rain. Fortunately, a bird’s outer layers of body feathers, known as contour feathers, prevent rain from penetrating toward its core. The fine structure of contour feathers interlocks each feather with the next, creating a barrier to water, and keeping it from reaching the down feathers where birds trap air for warming insulation. [Black-capped Chickadee call, http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/98802, 0.08-.12]
While every bird has a single coat of feathers, different types of feathers, and even different parts of the same feather, can perform different functions. Have you ever seen a bird foraging in the rain and wondered why it isn’t soaked to the bone? The shape of the contour feathers, which are the outermost tips of the main body feathers, creates a fine, breathable, yet water-resistant mesh on the feather surface. Warm air can be trapped by the downy bases of contour feathers and other feathers that are entirely downy due to their ability to repel water. Don’t you wish we had coats that were as great-looking, dry, warm, and light?
So bring on the rain! It’s warm and dry under those feathers. [Black-capped Chickadee song: http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/191262, 0.10-.15]
FAQ
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