Bird feathers

Bird feathers: Friday 22 Sept 2023

It was interesting to find from Éanna that all birds wear white woolly vests – even the blackest of crows has a layer of pristine underwear  – there’s no need to waste energy creating dark feathers where they won’t be seen! You can see the insulating parts at the base of most feathers at the base of the quill, that part closest to the skin where the strands are fluffy.

We also found a grounded pigeon feather, molted because it was worn out on one side – and so not much use for keeping a bird aloft.  None of us knew why the feathers we find on the ground are uneven on either side of the quill. Here drawn with a quill using bramble ink with baking soda