In Auntie Moana's post below, with the "bling" bracelet bands on a Laysan Albatross chick, she pointed out the chick's down. It is soooooo fluffy!
Here's a close-up picture that I took of a single down feather. It's really different from a typical feather. Notice that there's only a little point where the down is embedded in the bird's skin, the way our hair is stuck into our skin. Notice that down doesn't have a stiff, central shaft, like feathers we're used to seeing.
Anybody wonder why this down feather is white, when the Laysan Albatross chick in Auntie Moana's post has black down?! For the answer, check this post's first comment!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
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1 comment:
I recognize a down feather from a "leucystis" Laysan Albatross. Many people would call the almost-completely white bird an albino, but if you look closely at the eyes, you'll see they have some pigment, or coloring; the eyes are not pink, like in a white, or albino rabbit. I'll post a picture of a leucystis bird in the next post
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