A Bird’s Feathers

Seeing birds survive the coldest winter days may raise questions about how they keep warm. Learning about the intricate nature of a bird’s feather helps solve some of that mystery. And like the spectacular detail of the flowers of the field, God cares for the birds—and us too. “Just like the coats people wear, birds tend to get puffier in winter. ‘A bird’s body heat warms the air between its feathers. … Birds fluff up in the cold to trap as much air in their feathers as possible. The more trapped air, the warmer the bird’” (John Gibbons, “Keeping Warm in Winter Is for the Birds,” Smithsonian, January 30, 2015, https://www.si.edu/stories/keeping-warm-winter-birds).