Birds of a Feather
[20 Minutes]
There are over 8,500 different kinds of birds on Earth. The heaviest is the 275 lb. African ostrich that cannot fly. The lightest is the hummingbird that weighs about the same as a sugar cube. All birds have feathers. Feathers keep birds warm. Most importantly, feathers help them not only to fly, but also to keep the bird’s body streamlined for flying.
You'll need:
curved flight feather--these are usually the feathers that we find on the ground piece of wood about 12-14 inches long and about ½ inch to 1 inch square thumbtack hair dryer
What to do:
- If possible, print out these directions. Read them through with your child before you begin.
- With your child, gather everything you’ll need.
- Invite your child to loosely thumbtack the feather to the wood with the curved part of the feather facing up and away.
- Blow the hair dryer over the feather.
- Turn the feather around and repeat the experiment.
- Talk about what happens.
Let's Talk: Ideas to Explore Together.
- How did the feather respond in the first position?
- How did the feather respond in the second position?
- Why do you think this happened?
Useful information:
The feathers from a bird’s wing are curved. The wing itself is also a curved shape. It is this curved shape of the wing that produces lift. As a flight feather moves through the air, the air that is flowing over the curved upper surface flows faster than the air underneath it. It is this difference in the upper and lower air speeds that pushes the feather up and lets the bird fly.
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