Sunday, February 8, 2009

What bird has a purple feather?



I first noticed the purple feather on my walk along our tree-lined ditch (creek). I picked the brightest one, studied it, and carried it with on my walk till I found Dad on the yard.
I asked him what bird he thought it belonged to. I just showed him that one feather with the very purple splotch on it. He was sure that I had colored it on there.
I went back to the area by the lagoon where I had found it and saw other feathers including the ones shown here.
When Dad saw the other feather he figured it out. What do you think it is?
Wait till you hear the rest of the story. It'll help us "Get Kansas!"
KE #2 Marci Penner

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tree Swallow?

Anonymous said...

There isn't a single blue feather in the world. The pigment inside the feather dominates the reflection.
The molecular level involves a prismatic effect. Complicated, but the feather is a prismatic work of art. Thanks to physics there are a lot of birds that appear blue that aren't. My best guess is that the feathers are from a domestic turkey that wandered in from the neighbor's yard. I'm not betting the farm on it :)

Anonymous said...

Looks like a Teal Duck.

Becky Thompson said...

I have no clue, but will be watching for the rest of the story!

Anonymous said...

I just took a picture of a duck with a bright purple stripe on it's wing.
Most of the ducks I could see had it, so I assume it's some kind of marker to monitor the species.
Still searching for the specifics though! :)

Anonymous said...

I am looking for a feather or two to accent a hatband made of quahog "wampum" beads made by a Long Island Native American artisan. Would you consider parting with one or two of these feathers? If so please contact me at mjdosz (at) gmail (dot) com. Thank you :)