May 2020 - By Koaw
Are you interested in identifying bird feathers? I’ve created a video to help you do just that!
And be careful! Avoid getting a fine. Birds are protected in North America by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. It is illegal to take most all feathers with you!
These are what I suggest you take with you in the field:
A single-colored backdrop that measures height in centimeters. I’d recommend going up to 40 cm in height. If no backdrop, at least bring a measuring device.
A camera. This can be on your phone or a fancier camera.
A smartphone (if you can.) With a smartphone you can check online databases in the field. Otherwise, the photos will help you back at home.
A sense of curiosity and amazement with the complexities of Nature!
Check out this very interesting video by BioBush on YouTube. You might not think about feathers the same way!
LINKS: The following links will help you on your journey to ID feathers!
DATABASES:
Feather Atlas - This is a database created by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Forensics Laboratory. There are hundreds of species of North American birds in this database. Most species listed have the primary, secondary and tail feathers listed. This database provides detailed information and photos of the feather placement, sex and estimated age of bird specimens. https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/
Featherbase - This is a database listing global bird species. They have thousands of records on more than a thousand species. It’s large with a wealth of information. It is a German-based organization, therefore not all of the information is available in English. https://www.featherbase.info/
Slater Museum of Natural History - This is a digital collection from the University of Puget Sound listing wing and tail images. This is also a very well-done database. https://digitalcollections.pugetsound.edu/digital/collection/slaterwing/
iNaturalist - This is a magnificent tool for identifying animals, plants & fungi. A must for anyone interested in Nature! https://www.inaturalist.org/
Feather Project on iNaturalist - This is the Found Feathers project on iNaturalist where you can submit your feather photos! https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/found-feathers
FEATHER INFORMATION:
Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds - A great interactive page with useful information on feathers! https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/features/all-about-feathers/
Found Feathers Project Journal - This is a link to this project’s journal. Many other useful links and feather information is found here. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/found-feathers/journal
Found Feathers - The site of the founder of the Found Feathers project on iNaturalist. Helpful tips and insight for birders and feather enthusiasts. https://foundfeathers.org/
LAWS PROTECTING BIRDS & FEATHERS:
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918: A summary of the legislation that protects birds in North America. https://www.fws.gov/birds/policies-and-regulations/laws-legislations/migratory-bird-treaty-act.php
MBTA PDF from 2020 - This is a document containing all the species protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 as of 2020. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-04-16/pdf/2020-06779.pdf
CITES - The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora seeks to protect birds on an international level. https://www.cites.org/