It is sort of two toned on the top side and about 11" long. I found it in my garage the other day, it must have blown in. We have a lot of very large birds here, water birds like egrets and ospreys, various hawks, vultures, eagles, huge owls. I'd love to be able to tell the grand kids what kind of bird it came from.
Hi ardesia,
Are you familiar with the "Feather Atlas"? It's a wonderful website from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that I have used in the past to ID feathers. Don't know if it will help with your feather, but it's worth a try...and I bet your grandkids would enjoy the site as well. It's both fascinating and educational.
Here's the link:
http://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/
My guess would be Canada Goose.
Resin
That feather atlas site is terrific, THANK YOU! I have not figured out what I have but, like you said, the site itself is great for kids.
I could be from a Canada but we do not have many here, there are a lot of golf courses around here and the golfers (I am not one of them) do not care for the Canada Geese. I am not sure how they get rid of them and I am afraid to ask.
I was concerned about the specific bird because I know it is against the law to pick up feathers from certain birds like the bald eagle at least on federal lands. This one was in my garage so I felt it was OK but I did not want the children having a "unlawful" feather.
I had an uncle who tied flies. He would dip the feather in water to see if it was a wet ( land bird) or dry (aquatic bird) feather. If water rolls off it like "water off the back of a duck", then it probably came from a water bird - if it gets damp to wet, then it probably isn't.
You're Welcome...so glad you enjoyed the Feather Atlas site! You might also try Resin's suggestion and specifically look up Canada Goose feathers.
Pollengarden - That's fascinating info! I didn't know that.
