Michelle Prysby of the Virginia Master Naturalists Banshee Reeks Chapter sent this email around recently.  It looks like a nice resource for us in our nature explorations.

Michelle writes:

I came across this neat new resource that I wanted to share with Master Naturalists.  It is an online database for bird feather ID.  http://www.lab.fws.gov/featheratlas/  They have scanned in flight feathers for 100+ species of North American birds and you can browse through them or look up individual species.  I often see feathers on the trail while I’m hiking and I’m excited to use this tool to help me identify them. 

Remember, of course, that without a permit we are not permitted to collect feathers due to state and federal laws, so a good field sketch or a digital photo is the way to go.  See http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/education/wildlife-laws-educators.pdf for more details.

Share/Save/Bookmark