Finding a loose feather is a sweet, serendipitous gift of a bird in our midst, whether from a familiar resident, a secretive lurker, a migrant in transit, or the remnant of a predator’s meal. In Native American culture, a feather that falls to earth carries all of the bird’s energy and signifies honor and connection between the finder, the Creator, and the bird from which the feather came.
When we find a loose feather, a first question we ask is: What bird did this belong to? Sometimes it’s obvious, but more often it’s not. Feather identification can be incredibly complex considering the many bird species using a habitat and the several types of feathers found on any one bird.
Feathers are extraordinary structures that have helped birds master the skies and spread to every corner of the globe. These fanciful plumes are a long way down the evolutionary path from dinosaur fuzz.
Fortunately, some clever bird experts have developed many great tips and resources to help us improve our detective skills with found feathers.
The salmon-colored feather shaft is a solid clue to the identity of the bird that shed this feather.*
First, a friendly word of precaution: If you find feathers in nature, it’s OK to handle, study, and photograph them, but please leave them where you found them. Under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, it is unlawful to possess feathers or other parts of native North American birds without a permit (with exceptions for feathers of legally-hunted waterfowl or gamebirds, and for the use of feathers by Native Americans). The intent of this law is to protect wild birds from being killed for commercial trade in their feathers.
Feather Basics
To identify a shed feather, it helps to have some working knowledge of a bird’s anatomy and feather types. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Bird Academy offers an online All About Feathers interactive mini-course on the basics of feather structure, placement, and function. This tutorial is a great place to refresh your knowledge of feather basics.
Illustrations from The Sibley Guide to Birds, D.A. Sibley, 2000.
Bird experts agree that the best way to begin your feather identification is to study the shape of a feather, which will help you determine which part of the bird a feather is from. Feathers can be grouped into seven broad categories based on their structure and location on the bird’s body.
Wing feathers: Wing feathers (remiges) are specialized for flight, having windproof surfaces (vanes) that allow lift in flight. Typically asymmetrical, they have narrower leading edges for improved aerodynamics.
Tail feathers: Tail feathers (rectrices) are typically symmetrical with a stiff central shaft to support precision steering in flight.
Contour feathers: These slightly curved feathers cover the bird’s body like overlapping shingles to streamline, insulate, and weatherproof its body. Size and length of contour feathers vary greatly.
The contour feathers of the Wild Turkey are gorgeously iridescent.
Semiplume feathers: Mostly hidden beneath other feathers, semiplumes have a developed central shaft (rachis) but a loose, fluffy structure to help the bird stay warm.
Most semiplumes are concealed under contour feathers and help with insulation, but some, such as the enlarged, lacy feathers on the back of this Great Egret, are used for courtship.
Down feathers: Loosely structured with a short or absent rachis, these lightweight fluffy feathers effectively trap body heat.
This 5-6 week old Bald Eagle chick has its secondary coat of gray thermal down with a few white natal down feathers on its crown and dark juvenile contour feathers coming in on its head, nape and breast.
Filoplume: These short, wispy feathers are associated with sensory receptors in the skin and are thought to provide information about wind, air pressure, and feather movements for efficient flight. You’re unlikely to find these in the field.
Bristle: Bristles are stiff, tapered hair-like feathers believed to perform a tactile function, usually found around eyes and near the base of the beak. Again, unlikely to find these in the field.
Bristles occur on insectivorous birds, which feed on the wing. They are best developed in nightjars, such as this Chuck-will's-widow, and are thought to help funnel insects into the mouth while flying.
Tips for Identifying a Feather
When heading to the field, be prepared! Carry a camera and either a measuring tape/ruler, or better yet, make a photo backdrop out of white paper with centimeters marked on X and Y axes and pack it with you. Feathers photographed on the backdrop show up more clearly and have more precise measurements. Be sure to photograph both sides of the feather.
DIY backdrop for photographing feathers gives you clear images and precise measurements.
Next, consult The Feather Atlas, an online image database of flight feathers of North American birds curated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The website contains scanned images of wing feathers (primaries and secondaries) and tail feathers for 420 species. Under the ‘Identify Feather Tool,’ you can select features under the categories of pattern, color, size, position (i.e., feather type), and type of bird to systematically narrow your search. Your photo should give you enough info to select characteristics that match your feather, making species identification that much easier.
The Feather Atlas database only includes flight feathers, meaning primary and secondary (wing) feathers and tail feathers. More than likely, these are the feathers you’ll encounter in nature. But if you want to cross-reference a flight feather – or identify a mystery contour or semiplume feather – check out the iNaturalist Found Feathers Project. Founded in 2017 by Amanda Janusz (@featherenthusiast), the Found Feathers Project has logged 30,000+ observations of 929 bird species. The photo database is searchable and as an iNaturalist user, you can contribute your observations and get help with feather identification from expert project members. How cool is that?
If you’d like to dig deeper into plumology, there are many excellent resources available in all types of media formats. Here are just a few you may find helpful:
This very enjoyable video by the Koaw Nature YouTube Channel explains how to get started with feather identification and how to use The Feather Atlas and the iNaturalist Found Feathers Project. Running time is 24 minutes.
Amanda Janusz’s (@featherenthusiast) Reading List, complete with succinct reviews.
Plumology (FEATHERS) with Dr. Allison Shultz
Cornell Lab of Ornithology Bird Academy Everything You Need to Know About Feathers
Featherbase: the most comprehensive online feather database with over 1,400 species. Birds from around the world are represented. Illustrates both flight and body feathers.
Now to the bird that shed those beautiful feathers in the photo up top (drum roll)……..
Great Gray Owl
* Tail feather of a Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker
What’s going on bird-wise in your backyard or travels?
What is the coolest feather you’ve ever found?
Thanks for joining today’s chorus & have a joyful & safe Labor Day weekend!
