Hope is the thing with feathers
July 18, 2022 1:46 PM Subscribe
A random word of caution: I recently learned that in the US there are some really strict laws about picking up and collecting bird feathers to the point that it can be illegal to possess, collect or use bird feathers, even if you just found them naturally molted on the ground.
The laws are so strict that it basically covers all US native birds that are not game birds that can be legally hunted, and this varies from state to state. About the only birds you can legally collect feathers for are non-native invasive species.
So basically every US native corvid, raptor, waterfowl, song bird, etc it's illegal to possess their feathers and it doesn't matter if they're endangered or not. The list is so extensive that it's safer to assume that any feather you find on the ground is illegal to own or possess.
I don't know how often these laws are prosecuted but the fines are eye-watering.
https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/feathers-and-the-law.php
https://tenderly.medium.com/collecting-feathers-the-legal-way-78d3f2e4e4a
https://foundfeathers.org/2021/11/23/collecting-bird-feathers-in-the-united-states/
posted by loquacious at 3:02 PM on July 18, 2022 [2 favorites]
The laws are so strict that it basically covers all US native birds that are not game birds that can be legally hunted, and this varies from state to state. About the only birds you can legally collect feathers for are non-native invasive species.
So basically every US native corvid, raptor, waterfowl, song bird, etc it's illegal to possess their feathers and it doesn't matter if they're endangered or not. The list is so extensive that it's safer to assume that any feather you find on the ground is illegal to own or possess.
I don't know how often these laws are prosecuted but the fines are eye-watering.
https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/feathers-and-the-law.php
https://tenderly.medium.com/collecting-feathers-the-legal-way-78d3f2e4e4a
https://foundfeathers.org/2021/11/23/collecting-bird-feathers-in-the-united-states/
posted by loquacious at 3:02 PM on July 18, 2022 [2 favorites]
Neato! Thanks for posting.
And thanks, loquacious, for posting your links-- I had a moment, reading your comment, where I panicked about my {ancient} box of {ancient} craft feathers, most of which are certainly older than .... but are certainly probably also your basic domestic turkey, chicken, etc., except they're pink or blue or green (that perfect green) and a couple deliciously slinky scarlet (for when little hats come back, never) so I can rest easy with my old stuff.
I've never seen a really big bird feather in the wild. Someone once gave me a giant porcupine quill, which was an amazing thing. My bodily detritus is so much less impressive.
posted by winesong at 6:01 PM on July 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
And thanks, loquacious, for posting your links-- I had a moment, reading your comment, where I panicked about my {ancient} box of {ancient} craft feathers, most of which are certainly older than .... but are certainly probably also your basic domestic turkey, chicken, etc., except they're pink or blue or green (that perfect green) and a couple deliciously slinky scarlet (for when little hats come back, never) so I can rest easy with my old stuff.
I've never seen a really big bird feather in the wild. Someone once gave me a giant porcupine quill, which was an amazing thing. My bodily detritus is so much less impressive.
posted by winesong at 6:01 PM on July 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
It seems to be down.
posted by Kabanos at 7:27 PM on July 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Kabanos at 7:27 PM on July 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
The MBTA feather laws are one of those things the United States is strangely zero-tolerance about. Other countries tend to range from "you can keep a feather you find as long as it's not from an endangered species and you didn't kill it" to "it's technically illegal but nobody is going to come after you just for having a couple of feathers". Sometimes this becomes a little silly like how some states have no-limit hunting seasons for crows. So senselessly killing as many crows as you want is apparently perfectly fine, but picking up a crow feather is a slippery slope to extinction.
posted by Pyry at 7:28 PM on July 18, 2022
posted by Pyry at 7:28 PM on July 18, 2022
And thanks, loquacious, for posting your links-- I had a moment, reading your comment, where I panicked about my {ancient} box of {ancient} craft feathers, most of which are certainly older than
Yeah, you can imagine my dismay and sheer terror when I picked up what I thought was a bald eagle feather - in complete ignorance, mind - and brought it home to try to identify it, discovered the feather atlas and then all of the warnings about the legality of collecting feathers.
Thankfully it turned out to be a common and legal goose feather.
I'm pretty into nature and foraging and stuff, and if I didn't realize how strict the laws were about it in the US I figured someone else might also need this information.
posted by loquacious at 11:26 PM on July 18, 2022
Yeah, you can imagine my dismay and sheer terror when I picked up what I thought was a bald eagle feather - in complete ignorance, mind - and brought it home to try to identify it, discovered the feather atlas and then all of the warnings about the legality of collecting feathers.
Thankfully it turned out to be a common and legal goose feather.
I'm pretty into nature and foraging and stuff, and if I didn't realize how strict the laws were about it in the US I figured someone else might also need this information.
posted by loquacious at 11:26 PM on July 18, 2022
Hm. I have a few large feathers I've (illegally?) picked up on dog walks or, just this morning, from the yard (discovered by mr. dog). I think some are barred owl, but the largely white one today I'm not sure about. The only large birds which consistently fly over the yard (aside from owls) is the family of ospreys living in the woods behind me, or maybe bald eagles, if 1500 feet in the air is considered "over the yard". I suppose the feather is probably something much more mundane, like from a Canada goose--I guess when the feds show up to haul me away I might find out?
posted by maxwelton at 4:11 PM on July 19, 2022
posted by maxwelton at 4:11 PM on July 19, 2022
So this is supposed to be an extensive list?
Horse feathers!
Seriously, way cool. There's a red tail hawk family that for several generations have nested and perched in our trees and on our phone pole. After 40 years, there has been much plumage and even dead fledglings found...
posted by BlueHorse at 8:26 AM on July 20, 2022
Horse feathers!
Seriously, way cool. There's a red tail hawk family that for several generations have nested and perched in our trees and on our phone pole. After 40 years, there has been much plumage and even dead fledglings found...
posted by BlueHorse at 8:26 AM on July 20, 2022
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