Higher Elevation Himalayan Songbirds Sport Thicker Down “Jackets” to Survive the Cold – Brinkwire

Study of Himalayan songbirds in museum collections is first step toward using feathers to predict the effects of climate change for birds in extreme environments.
Feathers are a sleek, intricate evolutionary innovation that makes flight possible for birds, but in addition to their stiff, aerodynamic feathers used for flight, birds also keep a layer of soft, fluffy down feathers between their bodies and their outermost feathers to regulate body temperature.
Using the Smithsonians collection of 625,000…

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