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C'est grâce à ses plumes que la chouette vole.

C'est grâce à ses plumes que la chouette vole.
It is thanks to its feathers that the owl flies.
From Lesson 377:Emphasizing with prepositions (C'est... que)·French

Questions & Answers about C'est grâce à ses plumes que la chouette vole.

Why do we use que instead of qui here, since we are talking about feathers?
In cleft sentences starting with c'est, we use que when we are emphasizing an adverbial or prepositional phrase. Since la chouette is already the subject of the verb vole, the emphasized part grâce à ses plumes is just explaining how or why it flies. Therefore, we connect it with que.
Could I say C'est à cause de ses plumes que... instead of grâce à?
Grammatically yes, but it changes the tone! In French, grâce à (thanks to) is used for positive or beneficial causes. If you use à cause de (because of), it implies a negative cause, as if the feathers are to blame for something bad.
Why is it ses plumes if the owl (la chouette) is singular?
In French, possessive adjectives agree with the thing being owned, not the owner. Even though there is only one owl (a singular owner), it has many feathers (plural object), so you must use the plural ses instead of the singular sa.
How would you write this sentence without the emphasizing C'est ... que structure?
You would simply say La chouette vole grâce à ses plumes (The owl flies thanks to its feathers). The C'est ... que frame just puts a spotlight on the specific reason it flies, which is the focus of this lesson.

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