The very first birds, Archaeopteryx, were huge terrifying beasts. They are one of the first known appearances of the feather, enabling this dinosaur to fly! Several others dinosaurs also had rudimentary feathering.
We are going to take a closer look at this marvel of engineering and see just how amazing it truly is! The next time you find a loose feather, spend some time looking at it closely, it really is a thing of practical beauty.
Despite having feathers, not all birds can fly. Birds can be divided roughly into flightless (emu, kiwi), limited flight (chickens) and full flight (songbirds, hawks).
