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Feather Identification Help

The Great Outdoors Asked by Pine on December 17, 2021

14.5cm

Hi everyone,

I found this feather in a field in Malmo, Sweden a few days ago. The only birds of prey I’ve seen around here are kestrels, but I’m sure there could be more. I’m desperate to know what bird this came from as I can’t seem to identify it myself with other images!

It’s about 14.5cm long.

Any help at all would be fantastic!

2 Answers

This is a tail feather. The asymmetry suggests that it was an outer tail feather vs. an inner tail feather--this distinction exists in most species of bird and a species argument based on this alone would be tenuous at best.

This would be a tail feather and not a secondary wing feather because the bend in the shaft is localized at one location towards the bottom of the feather. Secondaries are typically curved throughout the shaft.

This is an owl feather based on the fuzzy surface of the feather and the fact that this pale orange color is very common in typical owl (Strigidae) species.

Finally, the best species match for location and pattern would be Long-eared Owl.

Long-eared Owl feathers

Tail feathers are at the bottom left of the photo. This and additional scans available at https://www.featherbase.info/en/exhibit/2981

So in conclusion this is a tail feather from a Long-eared Owl.

Answered by featherenthusiast on December 17, 2021

I think it is a secondary feather of a Long-eared Owl.

The Long-eared Owl caught my eye when I was looking through the book Tracks & Signs of the Birds of Britain and Europe. A quick internet search found this photo, which I think looks very similar and the length also matches: Phooto of Long-eared Owl feathers, Public Domain https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/feather.php?Bird=LEOW_secondary_male.

You appear to get Long-eared Owls in Sweden. This distribution map shows the breeding range in yellow and the resident range in green.
enter image description here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-eared_owl#/media/File:Asio_otus_distribution_map.png

Answered by Mehmet on December 17, 2021

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