God Made Feathers
just for kids
God Made Feathers they have lots of different jobs. It’s easy to see how awesome God is when we look at huge mountains and towering trees, but we can also
see how amazing our God is when we study some of the tiny details of creation. Let’s take a closer look at feathers.
ing ly F r fo t s Ju ’t n re A rs e ovide camouflage to Feath her birds’ feathers pr Ot • e, lak , nd po a u were a bright-red walk to you on a • Ask a parent to take g watch the ducks splashin river, or marshy area to ht rig ls ter beads up and rol around. Notice that wa ds and some other water bir off a duck’s back! Ducks the base of their tail. When have a little gland at the er xy oil from this gland ov duck preens, it rubs a wa ake ducks waterproof! its feathers. Feathers m
lored feathers
brightly co • Some birds use their are birds in every color to attract a mate. There are brightly colored birds of the rainbow. Many re he ht rig ds bir ful s of color tropical, but we have lot the of es tur pic d you can fin in North America. See if llow e jay, scarlet tanager, ye blu wood duck, cardinal, w Ho . ole ori , and Baltimore warbler, indigo bunting find outdoors? many of these can you
30 THE BANNER | June 2016 | thebanner.org
if yo keep them safe. Imagine . You probably wouldn’t gs cardinal sitting on its eg the y the parent who sits on feel very safe! That’s wh n tha ) is duller and browner eggs (usually the female for that use their feathers the male. Other birds th or-wills, who blend in wi camouflage are whip-po e tre e lik k loo o wh creepers, dried leaves, and brown ite wh t ge ra nd on the tu bark. Ptarmigans living that they blend in with so r nte feathers for the wi er to feathers in the summ the snow and brown s. match the brown leave rds keep warm. The • Feathers also help bi in the far North, lines nests female eider duck, who r wn feathers to keep he do n her nest with her ow te, ma cli . If you live in a cold eggs and babies warm in a thers, used as stuffing those same down fea ting you too! jacket, might be insula
Illustration by Scott Holladay
On the fifth day, God made feathers. All birds have feathers, but not all birds fly. Feathers come in lots of shapes and sizes and colors, and
Different Kinds of Feathers
er layer of feathers Contour feathers. This is the out s the wing and tail that covers the body and include feathers used for flight. nd underneath the Down. Small, fluffy feathers fou n. contour feathers trap air for insulatio y feathers grow, the Powder down. As these small, fluff esistant substance. ends break down and form a water-r contour and down Semiplume. A cross bet ween a lation. feather, these provide shape and insu
Feathers are made of keratin, just like our hair and nails. The Great Blue Heron has a special comb-like claw for grooming its feathers. Some feathers are patterned with skinny, squiggly lines, called vermiculations, from the Latin word for worm. Can you see why?
s grow around Filoplume. These hair-like feather ts think they ntis Scie the base of flight feathers. em. syst may be part of the bird’s sensory found around Bristle. These hair-like feathers are rs (like eyefilte as act y the bird’s eyes and bill. The se of touch. sen a with lashes) and are also associated
The green heron sometimes uses a floating feather as bait to lure fish. The shimmering iridescent color on hummingbirds is produced by light traveling and reflecting through layers of tiny air bubbles on the surface of the bird’s feathers.
A Forest of Feathers
Special Feathers
If you look closely at a feather—especially if you have a magnifying glass—you’ll notice that it actuall y looks a lot like a tree. The feather has a trunk, or shaft, with lots and lots of parallel branches called barbs. If you look extra carefully, you will see that the barbs have branches too. These are called barbules, and the barbules have tiny thorns called hooklets. The hooklets and barbules lock together, forming a smooth surface that acts as a barrier.
feathers Woodpeckers have special stiff tail to prop help se The with narrow pointed tips. as it tree the the woodpecker up against . hers feat e works. Brown creepers also have thes soft a e The feathers of an owl’s wing hav ing lead ke b-li com a , velvety sur face edge, and a soft fringe on the trailing edge. These characteristics affect air flow over the wing and allow the owl to fly silently. Snipe have special narrow outer tail feathers that vibrate when they fly, producing a sound called winnowing. Similarly, the American woodcock has narrow outer wing nd. feathers that make a twittering sou hered feat vily Ptarmigans have hea ! oes wsh feet—built-in insulated sno
ible Feathers in theall B through the Bible, especially in
Feathers and wings are mentioned word pinion. Pinions are the outer the psalms. You might also see the e are some verses to look up: flight feathers of a bird’s wing. Her Psalm 91:4 Psalm 57:1 Exodus 19:4 Isaiah 40:31 Psalm 61:4 Deuteronomy 32:11 Luke 13:34 Psalm 63:7 Job 39:13 Psalm 68:13 Psalm 55:6
Rachel Lancashire is a nursery worker (plants, not kids) and freelance writer with an educational background in wildlife. She grew up in the CRC but currently attends Gilmour Memorial Baptist Church in Selwyn, Ont. thebanner.org | June 2016 | THE BANNER 31
God Made Feathers they have lots of different jobs. It’s easy to see how awesome God is when we look at huge mountains and towering trees, but we can also
see how amazing our God is when we study some of the tiny details of creation. Let’s take a closer look at feathers.
ing ly F r fo t s Ju ’t n re A rs e ovide camouflage to Feath her birds’ feathers pr Ot • e, lak , nd po a u were a bright-red walk to you on a • Ask a parent to take g watch the ducks splashin river, or marshy area to ht rig ls ter beads up and rol around. Notice that wa ds and some other water bir off a duck’s back! Ducks the base of their tail. When have a little gland at the er xy oil from this gland ov duck preens, it rubs a wa ake ducks waterproof! its feathers. Feathers m
lored feathers
brightly co • Some birds use their are birds in every color to attract a mate. There are brightly colored birds of the rainbow. Many re he ht rig ds bir ful s of color tropical, but we have lot the of es tur pic d you can fin in North America. See if llow e jay, scarlet tanager, ye blu wood duck, cardinal, w Ho . ole ori , and Baltimore warbler, indigo bunting find outdoors? many of these can you
30 THE BANNER | June 2016 | thebanner.org
if yo keep them safe. Imagine . You probably wouldn’t gs cardinal sitting on its eg the y the parent who sits on feel very safe! That’s wh n tha ) is duller and browner eggs (usually the female for that use their feathers the male. Other birds th or-wills, who blend in wi camouflage are whip-po e tre e lik k loo o wh creepers, dried leaves, and brown ite wh t ge ra nd on the tu bark. Ptarmigans living that they blend in with so r nte feathers for the wi er to feathers in the summ the snow and brown s. match the brown leave rds keep warm. The • Feathers also help bi in the far North, lines nests female eider duck, who r wn feathers to keep he do n her nest with her ow te, ma cli . If you live in a cold eggs and babies warm in a thers, used as stuffing those same down fea ting you too! jacket, might be insula
Illustration by Scott Holladay
On the fifth day, God made feathers. All birds have feathers, but not all birds fly. Feathers come in lots of shapes and sizes and colors, and
Different Kinds of Feathers
er layer of feathers Contour feathers. This is the out s the wing and tail that covers the body and include feathers used for flight. nd underneath the Down. Small, fluffy feathers fou n. contour feathers trap air for insulatio y feathers grow, the Powder down. As these small, fluff esistant substance. ends break down and form a water-r contour and down Semiplume. A cross bet ween a lation. feather, these provide shape and insu
Feathers are made of keratin, just like our hair and nails. The Great Blue Heron has a special comb-like claw for grooming its feathers. Some feathers are patterned with skinny, squiggly lines, called vermiculations, from the Latin word for worm. Can you see why?
s grow around Filoplume. These hair-like feather ts think they ntis Scie the base of flight feathers. em. syst may be part of the bird’s sensory found around Bristle. These hair-like feathers are rs (like eyefilte as act y the bird’s eyes and bill. The se of touch. sen a with lashes) and are also associated
The green heron sometimes uses a floating feather as bait to lure fish. The shimmering iridescent color on hummingbirds is produced by light traveling and reflecting through layers of tiny air bubbles on the surface of the bird’s feathers.
A Forest of Feathers
Special Feathers
If you look closely at a feather—especially if you have a magnifying glass—you’ll notice that it actuall y looks a lot like a tree. The feather has a trunk, or shaft, with lots and lots of parallel branches called barbs. If you look extra carefully, you will see that the barbs have branches too. These are called barbules, and the barbules have tiny thorns called hooklets. The hooklets and barbules lock together, forming a smooth surface that acts as a barrier.
feathers Woodpeckers have special stiff tail to prop help se The with narrow pointed tips. as it tree the the woodpecker up against . hers feat e works. Brown creepers also have thes soft a e The feathers of an owl’s wing hav ing lead ke b-li com a , velvety sur face edge, and a soft fringe on the trailing edge. These characteristics affect air flow over the wing and allow the owl to fly silently. Snipe have special narrow outer tail feathers that vibrate when they fly, producing a sound called winnowing. Similarly, the American woodcock has narrow outer wing nd. feathers that make a twittering sou hered feat vily Ptarmigans have hea ! oes wsh feet—built-in insulated sno
ible Feathers in theall B through the Bible, especially in
Feathers and wings are mentioned word pinion. Pinions are the outer the psalms. You might also see the e are some verses to look up: flight feathers of a bird’s wing. Her Psalm 91:4 Psalm 57:1 Exodus 19:4 Isaiah 40:31 Psalm 61:4 Deuteronomy 32:11 Luke 13:34 Psalm 63:7 Job 39:13 Psalm 68:13 Psalm 55:6
Rachel Lancashire is a nursery worker (plants, not kids) and freelance writer with an educational background in wildlife. She grew up in the CRC but currently attends Gilmour Memorial Baptist Church in Selwyn, Ont. thebanner.org | June 2016 | THE BANNER 31
