1. Only birds have feathers! Out of all living animals on Earth today, birds are the only ones with feathers. Not even bats or flying squirrels have them!

2. They are made of the same stuff as your fingernails. Feathers are made of a tough protein called keratin. It is the exact same material that makes up human hair and fingernails, as well as dog claws and rhino horns.

3. Feathers zip together like Velcro. Each feather has tiny branches called barbs with even smaller hooks called barbules. These tiny hooks lock together like Velcro to stay flat and catch the wind for flying.

4. Dinosaurs had feathers too! Millions of years ago, many dinosaurs—including the famous T. rex and Velociraptor—were covered in fluffy feathers to keep warm long before birds used them to fly.

5.Penguin feathers work like a wetsuit. Penguins can't fly in the sky, but they have thousands of tiny, tightly packed waterproof feathers that trap air and keep them warm and dry while swimming in freezing ocean water.

6. Birds lose and regrow their feathers. Just like you lose baby teeth, birds drop old, worn-out feathers and grow brand new ones once or twice a year. This process is called molting.

7. Flamingos turn pink from their food. Flamingos aren't born pink! They start out with fluffy gray feathers and turn bright pink because of the tiny algae and shrimp they eat.