Have you ever wondered how feathers evolved or how they are used to attract others including birds and humans?

If so, come to Griffin Bay Bookstore on Thursday night, June 30, 7 p.m. for an author talk with San Juan Island’s own Thor Hanson.

Hanson will tell stories from his latest work “Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle,” which explores the full spectrum of how feathers have been used by birds and humans throughout history.

“There are many things in nature well adapted to a single purpose, but few things adapted to many purposes,” Hanson said about the nature of feathers.

Hanson is on a nation-wide book tour with “Feathers,” which has already received accolades, including  a recommendation from Peter Matthiessen, author of “The Snow Leopard.”

Hanson works as a conservation biologist and has studied Central American trees and songbirds, nest predation in Tanzania, and the grisly feeding habits of African vultures. He is a Switzer Environmental Fellow and a member of the Human Ecosystems Study Group.