I’m not sure on the species, it’s hard to tell the feather’s size.
FWS has a Feather Atlas. At the bottom there’s an “Identify My Feather” button that takes you through some questions and gives you a list of possibilities.
this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2025
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I wish I could keep it..
Why can't you?
So the enforcers of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act don't come to your house and shoot your dog, of course.
My understanding is that if you can't hunt it, you can't have any part of it. Unless you are a teacher and use it for education.
Not even all teachers can keep them. You have to have a migratory bird permit. Places like wildlife rehab and nature centers often have the permit for doing education programs.
Basically it’s because there’s no way to prove if someone just found it on the ground or they killed the bird and kept the feather, nest, eggs, etc. (hence it applies to species who can’t be hunted). So US Fish and Wildlife requires a permit for everyone.
Oh, you might get in trouble for it where you live? That's a shame. When I lived near the sea, I used to find some amazing feathers. Some of them might be illegal to own, but no one there cared about people picking feathers up off the ground.