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Rachel Park
USA
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I looked out my window today, and I saw this feather. I can’t figure out what bird it came from. Please ID!
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Feather ID!!?
Rachel Park
USA
I looked out my window today, and I saw this feather. I can’t figure out what bird it came from. Please ID!
This is likely a kingfisher or woodpecker feather:
https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idtool.php
Thanks for the guide!
Where did you take this photo(Town, State)?
Annandale, Virginia.
It looks like a golden-fronted or hairy woodpecker.
Could possibly be a hairy woodpecker, but I don’t know about a golden-fronted, because I’ve never seen one in this area. But it could be a golden-fronted.
Looks kind of like an owl feather.
Can you keep non-native birds’ feathers? And gamebirds?
All native birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). You can keep House Sparrow, European Starling, Rock Pigeon, domestic chicken and duck feathers, and Mallard feathers. All other feathers are protected and illegal to process as it is a felony. To be safe, NEVER keep any feather unless you know 100% if it is one of the species I said above.
Oh.
Got it.
Collecting bird feathers could cost you a $15,000 fine. Violators of the MBTA can be penalized with fines of up to $150,000 and/or serve six months of jail time. That’s a steep price to pay for a feather. Collecting bird feathers is illegal because of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. There is no exemption for molted feathers or those taken from road- or window-killed birds.
What is the reason you can’t keep feathers?