OutdoorNebraska

These soft feathers keep the bird warm by trapping air close to the body and insulating the bird from cold winter weather. Body feathers are the short feathers, on top of the down feathers, that cover the bird's body. These feathers are important in repelling water and keeping the bird clean. The flight feathers include the wing and tail feathers. These larger, stiff feathers help steer the birds as they fly. If you have ever watched a bird soaring in the sky, you might see slight movements of the tail or wings that change the bird's direction. It is the flight feathers that are at work here. There are several other types of feathers specific to different bird species. For example, a woodpecker has small bristle feathers near its nose. These tiny feathers help keep the wood dust created when it hammers away at a tree from entering its nose. Or some birds, like the prairie chicken, will have display feathers. Display feathers are often found on male birds and are used to attract a female for mating. So do birds have fur? No. Do they have solid bones? No. Do they live underwa- ter? No. Do they go through metamorphosis like a frog? No. But birds are amazing creatures with their own set of unique characteristics. Your job now is to go find them. See for yourself why birds are so amazing – and so unique. Feathered Friend Word Scramble Unscramble the letters to form a bird word. Then, using the numbers under the letters, decode the message at the end. M C C U I L A ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ 5 9 13 5 19 22 11 D I B R ___ ___ ___ ___ G S E G ___ ___ ___ ___ 7 19 2 3 1 23 23 26 L O L O W H ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 21 8 13 13 8 18 H S E F E R A T ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 15 1 9 24 21 1 2 26 L Y F ___ ___ ___ 25 13 14 N C T E B I U A ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 19 10 5 22 7 9 24 1 M T H E D I N O E R C ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 1 10 3 8 24 21 1 2 11 19 5 DECODE THE MESSAGE: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ' ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ , 10 9 24 22 2 1 26 18 9 19 24 19 10 23 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ! 23 8 8 22 24 26 19 3 1 Answers on page 2 BIRDOLOGY: A Kid's Book About Birds — 5

• Cover