Swimming Wings

  Some birds have wings adapted for swimming. Penguins, for example, have short, stiff, webbed wings that let them “fly” underwater. Essentially, their wings act as a pair of flippers.

  Penguin wing bones are fused together, which makes them more like stiff paddles. Because of this, these birds are the only ones that can't fold their wings.

  Although penguins cannot fly, other birds use their birds to swim but can also fly. Auklets, loons, and puffins, for example, use their wings to propel them underwater, but these birds' wings are also capable of flight.

  Swimming and diving underwater helps water birds catch their prey. Their powerful wings steer them, working with their webbed feet to propel them through the water.