Why did feathers evolve?

Have you ever wondered why birds have feathers, or how parrots get their dazzling, bright colours? Get ready for a mind-blowing time-travel adventure that goes all the way back to the age of the dinosaurs! Join Mira and Finn as they uncover the incredible secrets of feathers. First, we learn how modern parrots are actually microscopic light-bending factories! They use special pigments called psittacofulvins to create vibrant reds and yellows, and literally bend light to make blue out of thin air! But wait, did you know feathers weren’t originally made for flying? We travel back millions of years to meet Sinosauropteryx, a tiny dinosaur that used fuzzy proto-feathers as a cozy winter coat to stay warm! Then, we discover the four-winged Anchiornis, a punk-rock dinosaur with black and white stripes and a bright red mohawk used to show off! Along the way, we explore the famous 1861 Archaeopteryx fossil discovery in Germany that proved birds are actually modern-day dinosaurs. Feathers were cozy coats and bright billboards long before birds ever flew. Tune in, take the fun quiz, and discover why the pigeons in your park are basically tiny T-Rexes!