# Identify this feather

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-feather/792875>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 5, 2017, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-feather/792875 "2017-08-05T23:10:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\
**Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-feather/792875/1 "2017-08-05T23:10:42Z")

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Found on a walk this morning in the woods. Central California. I don’t know that I’ve seen any bright orange birds around here.

[![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/gs-geo-images/5ebd63c7-f7f9-45e5-b0fd-d2e8fb59e37b.jpg) ](https://s3.amazonaws.com/gs-geo-images/5ebd63c7-f7f9-45e5-b0fd-d2e8fb59e37b.jpg)

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**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\
**Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-feather/792875/2 "2017-08-05T23:14:38Z")

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Not the best photo, (sorry!), it’s hard to tell the size or even true shape, of that feather. You seem to be holding it at an awkward angle. Even the colour doesn’t seem very clear.

I’d try again, if I were you!

Good Luck!

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**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\
**Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-feather/792875/3 "2017-08-05T23:23:35Z")

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> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#):
>
> Found on a walk this morning in the woods. Central California. I don’t know that I’ve seen any bright orange birds around here.
> 
> [https://s3.amazonaws.com/gs-geo-images/5ebd63c7-f7f9-45e5-b0fd-d2e8fb59e37b.jpg](https://s3.amazonaws.com/gs-geo-images/5ebd63c7-f7f9-45e5-b0fd-d2e8fb59e37b.jpg)

[Northern flicker](https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Flicker/id). Only NA bird with bright-shafted wing feathers. Yours might be the intergrade orange-shafted form, between the east coast’s yellow and the west coast’s red.

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**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\
**Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-feather/792875/4 "2017-08-05T23:36:54Z")

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> [@araminty](#):
>
> [Northern flicker](https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Flicker/id). Only NA bird with bright-shafted wing feathers. Yours might be the intergrade orange-shafted form, between the east coast’s yellow and the west coast’s red.

Thanks. Better picture. Pretty much straight on, colors are true.

[![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/gs-geo-images/e4950f7c-32f8-4c41-9888-04612e2fc9e8.jpg) ](https://s3.amazonaws.com/gs-geo-images/e4950f7c-32f8-4c41-9888-04612e2fc9e8.jpg)