The Multiple Miracles of Bird Feathers Other animals fly, make
nests, chirp, lay eggs, and do all sorts of things birds do. But
only birds have feathers, among the most magical creations in
all of nature. The subtle rust and charcoal hues of the robin’s
plumage told me it was a female, and her feathers shone fresh
and porcelain smooth in the sunlight. She cocked her head,
hopped, and then lunged forward to root at something in the
soil. Tilting upright again, she suddenly launched skyward,
turning sharply around a fence post and swooping up at an
impossible angle to land on an alder branch. Perched there, the
robin shook her tail and fluffed up her body feathers before
letting everything settle back into place. Then she began to
preen, turning and dipping her beak to lift and comb individual
quills and vanes, like a fussy housekeeper arranging and
rearranging the furniture. On any given day, up to four hundred
billion individual birds may be found flying, soaring, swimming,
hopping, or otherwise flitting abov