Bald and Golden Eagle Feathers

'Tis not what you think :)

Does anyone have *good* colour pictures of individual tail and wing feathers from either of these two eagles? I am creating simulated feathers and the ones I see in the shops are all different -- as if the artists don't know what the birds' feathers looked like. Hrm, which is quite possible, when you think of it.

Anyone?
Thanks,
Roan Art

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Go to your local museum

I've seen Canada goose feathers and white chicken feathers on the bald eagles, but I have an opinion (what's new). The very best repro I ever saw still looked like crap compared to the real thing. There's just no way the wings are ever right. An eagle's wings are twice as long as a goose's and the recreators never get that right.

I think a vulture's feathers are closer to the eagle than the goose, but that doesn't get past the legal test either.

To have and hold

http://www.nocbay.com/ Try this site...Located in Escanaba Mi. I think, You can order immitations of either and have them to hold to look at for reference.

Have Replicas, Will Travel

Trapper,

I do have simulated eagle feathers. Fifteen, to be exact. I ordered them from several places with Noc Bay being one of them. They're nice, but not the real thing. Some of them strike me as being rather "fabricated" -- assembly work, if you will. Airbrush geniuses at work :)

Eagle feather markings, especially golden, vary a LOT and these copies I bought don't vary enough. I did find a publication from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (finally!) that has photos and information for their agents to use so that they can correctly identify the birds feet and feathers. I want more photos, though.

As for using a sim as a copy: I'd rather not copy from a copy :)

Eventually I'd like to create a web page on creating simulated eagle feathers. Not one exists that I can find :( I do have Bob Gutierrez's book, The Art of Simulating Eagle Feathers, however he leaves a LOT out and neglects to explain much.

Thanks for your help, though
Roan

Museums

George,

>I've seen Canada goose feathers and white chicken feathers on the >ald eagles, but I have an opinion (what's new). The very best repro > ever saw still looked like crap compared to the real thing.

They probably copied from a copy :) This is why I want photos of the real thing.

>here's just no way the wings are ever right. An eagle's wings are >wice as long as a goose's and the recreators never get that right.

How much longer was the tail?

> think a vulture's feathers are closer to the eagle than the goose, >ut that doesn't get past the legal test either

Heh, nope :) Turkeys are the closest legal thing, I think, although I read that the peahen's? feathers are closer in shape.

I don't think a museum will help much. They might get a little nervous if I ask them to take the bird out so I can photograph a few feathers up close :)

I need photos of individual feathers -- preferably off the bird.

Thanks for the help, though
Roan

feathers

Roan,

My name is Don. I am a falconer in alabama. What type of pics do you need for and at what age of the bird because both bird Feathers Change as an adult. I can try to help you out.

Don

George was right

Visit a museum. A number of the larger museums have spread wing collections. When a skeleton is made up for the anatomical collection, often one side is spread out to be used as reference in molt studies or for artists. An example of a spread wing can be seen on this web site in Washington at the University of Puget Sound.

http://www2.ups.edu/biology/museum/wings_Accipitridae.html

click on Bald Eagle and you will see two different wings.

Thanks, Don

>My name is Don. I am a falconer in alabama. What type of pics do >you need for and at what age of the bird because both bird Feathers >Change as an adult. I can try to help you out.

Don,
Thanks a bunch! I'm looking for pics of individual tail feathers, back and front, from Goldens that are immature, semi-mature and adult. Do the semi and adult dark feather bands run parallel or on the diagonal or both (to the web grain)? I've seen both painted, but from what I've read they are "supposed" to run in a diagonal fashion along the barbs. Are they blotchy or does each band pretty much run from the shaft to the outer edge of the web continously?

Any and all pics, really, are wanted, but I'm really interested in some good close ups.

Thanks
Roan

George was Partially Right :)

>Visit a museum. A number of the larger museums have spread wing >collections. When a skeleton is made up for the anatomical >collection, often one side is spread out to be used as reference in >molt studies or for artists. An example of a spread wing can be >seen on this web site in Washington at the University of Puget Sound.

Those are great photos, thanks! Know of any tail photos? Interesting how the mottled pattern is not the same back to front of each feather.

Roan Art

Finally Found an Awesome Site!

I finally found an awesome site for eagle feathers, the North American Ethnographic Collection:

<URL="http://anthro.amnh.org/anthropology/databases/north_public/north_public.htm">http://anthro.amnh.org/anthropology/databases/north_public/north_public.htm</URL>

The great thing about this collection is that the feathers are old and show the graduations between tones and shades. They also have a couple of trailers that were obviously created from the same bird -- the feathers have the same basic mottling design throughout. Some variations, but overall the same pattern. Now THAT is something I needed to know!

What isn't great is they don't show the backs of the feathers, so I am in great need of pics showing the back of the TAIL feather vs the front. Need to see just how the mottling progresses down the back as compared to the front.

Anyone?

Thanks to all,
Roan