Quote Originally Posted by Stacia Novy View Post
Birds with broken feathers are the exception, rather than the rule. In fact, so rare, that banding stations and refuges that I’ve worked at document the bird’s condition when trapped because it is unusual.
I agree that broken feathers are an exception but I don't agree that they are so much of an exception as to make note. Perhaps things have changed now, but I did my M.S. research in the Goshutes in 1989 and I don't remember writing down broken feathers as part of the recorded information of the thousands of birds we trapped. Ditto working with prairie falcons and golden eagles on the Snake River- did that for 4 years and we didn't make any special note of broomed feather tips, esp not in immature birds. A NC falconer (I don't have permission to quote her so I won't) trapped a late passage RT this year and specifically commented on the fact that it was in perfect feather which she seemed to think unusual and IIRC, she trapped quite some number of imm RT's looking for a big one.

In any case, we still don't know if that is a falconry or wild bird on the cover of the HC.

Just for fun, I took a romp around the 'net looking at pictures of immature RT hawks and I had no trouble finding several individuals with damaged feathers. Not a whole lot, granted, but they're there.

Points:

1) broken and broomed feathers occur in wild birds. They might be unusual, but they still occur, esp in immature birds.

2) we don't know if that's a wild or falconry bird on the cover. And neither does anyone else except the photographer.

Maybe the HC oughta go back to illustrations. That would be one good way to guaranteed perfect feathers.