Bar-headed geese make the
world’s highest migration every
year, flying at 6,300m through
Himalayan passes, a height
equivalent to Everest Camp II.Scientists have discovered
that feather shafts are similar
in construction to carbon fibre,
which is five times stronger than
steel, and is used to build fuel-
efficient sports cars and jets.The albatross has been
recorded flying at speeds
of 107km/h and can travel
16,000km in a single journey.The Rüppell’s griffon vulture
holds the record for the greatest
flying height recorded for any
bird and was once spotted
coasting along at 11,300m
(or the same height as a
commercial airliner).Incredible everyday
The featherOther birds possess feathers that display colours and
patterns beyond the palette and skill of the most gifted
artists. Even on a dull winter’s morning in Britain one can
see golds, greens, yellow and scarlet, shimmering blacks and
iridescent blue flitting about the bird table.
Feathers are made of keratin, the same fibrous protein that
comprises the scales on a lizard. Individually they consist of
a tapered shaft with little flexible stems or ‘barbs’ running off
at either side that interlock in flight. Each feather is layered in
careful arrangement.
Dressed to impress
Contour feathers form most of the surface of the bird, keeping
it dry and providing its outline. The long flight feathers are
called primaries; the shorter flight feathers, secondaries. Each
bird will also have barely perceptible filoplume feathers
interspersed within its plumage, which act as a sort of
sensory mechanism in flight to improve speed and agility.
Any witness to the elaborate breeding displays of the
more exotic species will also understand the importance of
feathers in the mating process. The male Peruvian marvellous
spatuletail hummingbird, for example, has tail feathers
consisting of violet-blue discs that are so cumbersome it can
only stay airborne for a few seconds when in display.
Earlier this year, on a journey through the Thar Desert in
Rajasthan, I saw a great Indian bustard in full magnificent
display, every feather puffed out to its furthest reaches as
it bellowed across the plains. Closer to home we can see
the elaborate courtship rituals of another Indian bird: the
peacock, whose feathers are glorious enough to stop a female
(and any human bystander) in her tracks. The peacock’s so-
called ‘train’ can stretch up to 1.8m in the air when fanned out
and rattles to further attract attention.
Dr Andrew Parnell, of the University of Sheffield’s
department of physics and astronomy, has been studying the
colouration of a different British bird of paradise. The jay has
developed a huge sophistication in the kaleidoscopic colours
that comprise its plumage – producing numerous different
shades along individual barbs. It’s the equivalent of a rainbow
on a single human hair.
According to Dr Parnell, because jays produce such colours
in their feathers’ actual nanostructure, rather than via the
pigments that make up human hair, the plumage never fades
with age. Such vibrancy, he says, is vital in the avian kingdom
The peacock’s
feathers are glorious
enough to stop a
female in her tracks
Did you
know?