Feather Atlas (USFWS)
Definition
An online scanned-image reference collection of North American bird feathers maintained by the US Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory. Used for preliminary field identification before formal laboratory analysis.
- Operator
- US Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory
- Format
- Online scanned-image reference collection
- Scope
- North American bird feathers
- Use
- Preliminary field identification
Common questions
Can an identification made from the Feather Atlas alone stand as courtroom evidence of species?+
It is generally treated as a screening tool to narrow candidate species before formal laboratory analysis, which may include microscopic barb structure examination or DNA barcoding for confirmatory identification suitable for prosecution, since visual image matching alone carries more uncertainty than lab-confirmed methods.
Why would wildlife forensics need a dedicated feather reference tool separate from general zoological references?+
Feathers recovered from crime scenes, such as poaching or illegal trade cases, are often partial, molted or damaged, and species identification from plumage pattern and structure requires a reference built specifically around forensic-relevant feather types rather than whole-bird field guides.
Related terms
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