SOAR - Saving Our Avian Resources
~The tale of tail feathers - Decorah juvenile admitted 22 June~
I'll do my best to explain what might or might not happen with the Decorah juvenile eagle's tail feathers. Kay reports that no tail feathers are growing back yet. He had some nasty damage from those maggots that has to heal.
...
~The tale of tail feathers - Decorah juvenile admitted 22 June~
I'll do my best to explain what might or might not happen with the Decorah juvenile eagle's tail feathers. Kay reports that no tail feathers are growing back yet. He had some nasty damage from those maggots that has to heal.
...
Dr. Dirks did give the tail feathers a good look and said that the remaining shafts are in too bad of shape to hold replacement feathers. The process of replacing feathers is called 'imping' and is where the bird has good feather shaft firmly in place and a replacement feather from the same species of bird and same type of feather is carefully aligned and glued in place. So... eagle tail feather to imp into an eagle tail... Without a good shaft remaining... this just wouldn't be an option.
The juvenile eagle may well preen out those old shafts himself which would start the new feather process. The other possibility is that he may have to molt out the old shafts and then grow new feathers. Unfortunately, this is a wait and see what happens process. Time.
The juvenile eagle may well preen out those old shafts himself which would start the new feather process. The other possibility is that he may have to molt out the old shafts and then grow new feathers. Unfortunately, this is a wait and see what happens process. Time.
