Feathers come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors. Due to a range of factors (i.e. diet, individual variation, genetics), wild birds can sometimes exhibit uncommon plumage patterns. This project is an informal attempt to aggregate such feathers in order to illustrate possible variations on normal plumage patterns.

Helpful additions include feathers that differ significantly from the "typical" pattern, size, shape, or pigmentation of their species. This can include simple individual variation, responses to external stimuli that can be traced in the feathers, and pathological disorders such as leucism and albinism. In general, steer clear of adding feathers that are atypical due to artificial selection (i.e. domestic/feral birds), but this is just a suggestion. At the end of the day, this project is just a place to collect odd-looking feathers, so anything goes! You can find a list of examples below for ideas:

• Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) tail feathers with orange tips due to invasive honeysuckle consumption
• Crow feathers with melanin deficiency
• An oddly developed feather with a warped quill
• An unusually dark or light feather (for the species)
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