Tail feathers

[tlford@ix.netcom.com]

I went to the Miners Gem in Old Town (San Diego) to work on the Carlsbad
Nodosaur like I alway do on Saturday. I found out that a Mocking Bird
had gotten into the store and one of the workers tried to get it out,
but had accdentally pulled all it's tell feathers off. I saw it flying
around with no problem today.

1), is looseing the tail feathers a defensive move?

2). Are tail feathers really needed to fly? I know birds do use them to
break and manevor, but just to fly around, is it really needed? The
reason I ask is because of Pterodactyloid pterosaurs don't have tails,
and I've often wondered how they would manever with out them. Possibly
very well, if they were like the mocking bird. 

Tracy