Wiki World: feathers

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A bird Flies Through Water - Little Penguin

A little penguin just flies through ocean water.
The little penguin (Eudyptula minor) literally flies through the water. It is uniquely adapted to live in the sea. The aerodynamically shaped wings of the penguin provide "flight" while their tiny legs are used as rudders.

little penguin water

White bellies blend in when viewed from below. Dark blue on the back makes it difficult to pick out when seen from above. Short oily feathers insulate them from sea water.

little penguin summer

At night little penguins return to familiar colonies on land. Animals brought to Australia by Europeans are an imminent danger to them. Dogs, Cats and foxes will quickly snap them up.

penguin water australiana

The birds use old burrows to breed. one parent sits on two eggs while the other gathers food. They alternate roles each day. As youngsters grow they remain outside the burrow waiting for parents to return to satisfy their ravenous appetites.

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Ostriches Use Their Wings to Run

The mystery of why dinosaurs evolved feathers has been solved. Observation of ostriches shows that wings are used to retain balance while running. Far from being evolutionary leftovers, they are used constantly.

This finding was made by breeding ostriches that were "human-friendly". Then they were then able to be tested, which took place when they were three years old. The ostriches were made to run down a 300 meter "track", indoors. They were seen to zigzag, brake and turn, guiding their bodies using wings as rudders.

Tests showed that feathers provided lift which improved stability. All living flightless birds are able to evade capture by quickly turning one way then the other. Without wings they would not be able to do this.

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Owl Piano Coat

"I, Liberace, will play you a tune on the piano while you admire my gorgeous coat."

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Scientists Are Studying New Zealand's Extinct Moa Bird

It seems we can study what animals looked like even though they are extinct. Australian and New Zealand scientists are studying prehistoric feathers to find out what birds were like. DNA has been obtained from the extinct Moa bird of New Zealand from feathers 2,500 years old. Moa are thought to have been still alive 1200 years ago It was 8 feet tall and could not fly. Material has been gleaned from three types of Moa: the stout legged; the heavy footed; and the upland Moa.

Somehow they have worked out that wing feathers had speckled white tips. This was to camouflage the bird from predators. The very large Haast eagle once existed that preyed on them. It is claimed that because the plumage of other flightless NZ birds is dull with speckled tips this idea is valid.

The scientists plan to get feathers from the end of the quill and further down the quill to compare coloration. It is hoped the findings will enable researchers to correctly reconstruct life-like models of extinct birds.