Feathers, feathers everywhere! These feathers were collected from my birds during their molts. A molt is a natural process when old, worn out feathers fall out and new feathers grow back in their place. A molt usually last for several days.
This picture shows primary wing feathers. These feathers are found on the outermost portion of a bird's wing. The first feather is from a normal pearl female. Notice the yellow "pearl"-like spots on this feather. The second feather is from a cinnamon pied female. This feather is more brown, rather than gray in color, and has yellow "bars" on it. It is called wing barring and is seen in immature birds and adult females. The third feather is from a normal pied male. This feather is yellow with white trim on top. The fourth feather is from an albino female. Because this feather lacks pigment, wing barring is not visible.
The picture to the right shows what clipped wings look like. If you look at the left side of the picture, you can see that Ollie's primary feathers were clipped, or cut. Cutting these feathers *does not* hurt a bird. (When the feather is finished growing, its blood supply is cut off. Feathers do not have nerves, either.) Clipping is done as a safety precaution to restrict a bird's flying while indoors. These feathers grow back when the bird molts. In the photo below, you can see all of Frosty's wing feathers as she hangs upside down.
Photos and text Copyright 1998-2001 by Keri Krause. Please do not use this material without my permission. Thank you.
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