Any guesses on who this feather belongs to?
Found in Sebastopol on 10 June 2012
Note the plumulaceous barbs at the base of the feather — the loose, downy parts that are soft and fluffy. They aid in insulation.
Our best guess is Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus). I wish I had better photos of a Red-shouldered Hawk, but here are a couple from our yard in Sebastopol:
Note the black tail feathers with distinct white bands.
Can you find the hawk in the photo below?
This individual was perched very high in a redwood tree. Below is a zoomed in view.
Red-shouldered Hawks can be seen year-round on Bodega Head, but they are less common than Red-tailed Hawks.
That's what I was going to guess. Red-shouldered hawk. There are those little flecks of reddish brown...
ReplyDeleteIt is just wonderful how you turn a discarded feather into a vocabulary expander. Plumulaceous.It almost sounds like an aboriginal word. Next month, we are going to visit Purnululu National Park(also known as the Bungle Bungles, which will make us Purnululaceaous.