Shinnecock76

Hello,

Quick question for everyone - I was given a red-tail hawk by a friend and plan on making use of the wing and tail feathers, head and talons. I want to make sure that I use all the parts of the bird, but is there anything that can be made from the short, downy body feathers? Thanks for any suggestions.

WhoMe

Shinnecock,

I can't think of anything useful that can be made of the downy feathers other than pillow stuffing.

*j/k

But seriously, red-tailed Hawks are protected by The Migratory Bird Treaty (MBT), codified at 16 U.S.C. Sec. 701-712. Section 703.

__________________
"Today, recognizing and respecting the origins of powwow aids in our Cultural Survival. If enough people break the rules because they are not satisfied...."We will have no culture."

WhoMe

Shinnecock76

Thanks for the quick response - just wanted to be sure I wasn't wasting anything!

sookout sh'nob

If you are good at skinning things out, then you might be able to get the skin off in tact and use it for covering the base/crown of a cap/bonnet/hat. You have to be practiced though, the skin is really thin and tears easily.

dmoccasin

Quite right any use of a protected species will raise the ire of some state and federal authorities.

Up in the Northwest a lot of dancers use eagle, turkey, macaw, and hawk feathers in some parts their regalia. Mostly, I have seen the younger dancers use whole hawk wings, wing feathers, and tail feather in their regalia.

To answer your question regarding the small hawk feathers I prefer not to use these feathers and this lessens the chance of dropping them on the dance arena.

I hope this may provide some advice in this area.

d