It looks so soft!
Owls are so soft due to the low density of their feathers compared to other birds! I’m trying to get work to collect feathers for a touch station so guests can feel how different they are.
That’s such a cool idea, owl feathers really do feel almost unreal compared to other birds. The fringed edges and fluffy structure make them super soft (and help with silent flight too), so a touch station would be an awesome way for guests to connect with that difference firsthand. I hope your workplace can source some naturally molted ones, people are going to love that experience!
Yes, the Screech Owls dropped quite a pile of them last year, but they are pretty small. One of our Great Horn’s longer ones would be nice and probably hold up to some more enthusiastic handling. Even just that and one from one of our hawk or raven guests would be a good comparison. The first place I visited that had a feather demo had a huge condor feather as well, and that was massive and stiff… for a feather. You could swing it like a sword and hear it cut the air.
That sounds amazing! There’s something wild about seeing the difference in size and texture up close. A Great Horned Owl feather would definitely stand out next to a hawk or raven feather and I can only imagine how insane that condor feather must have felt. Swinging it like a sword? That’s next-level feather power!