Which risk increases for birds encountering heavy rain during flight?

💡 Explanation

Feathers are structured to trap air, but heavy rain causes waterlogging and a loss of insulation. This saturates feathers, increasing drag, preventing the interleaving barbules from effectively creating lift, because increasing drag dramatically increases descent rate and energy expenditure, therefore higher energy usage due to drag rather than energy use for parasitic defense.

• A desert cactus experiences high daytime temperatures; which mechanism minimizes water during its CO₂ intake?
• Which consequence results when pulses of ecdysone cease during dragonfly larval development?
• Which adjustment do fish employ when buoyancy imbalances occur due to swim bladder damage?
• Which outcome compromises a beaked whale foraging at depth?
• Which consequence results when a marmot's hibernation den floods?
• Which constraint affects photosynthetic rate limitations within C4 or CAM pathways during water stress?