When I was inspecting one of our owl enclosures the other day, I noticed some fresh blood on the ground right below where one of the great horned’s perched. I fetched LuAnn and she believed it was due to a broken blood feather. Blood feathers are simply new feathers that develop after a molt; since they are still growing, a blood supply remains in the shaft of the feather. If they break, it can become a serious injury. Once the feather is fully grown the blood supply dries up and the shaft becomes opaque, like the discarded feathers you find on the ground! :) I couldn’t find a diagram of a blood feather that I liked.. but came across this in my search and loved it. Enjoy! I like this illustration of wing topography as well.

When I was inspecting one of our owl enclosures the other day, I noticed some fresh blood on the ground right below where one of the great horned’s perched. I fetched LuAnn and she believed it was due to a broken blood feather. Blood feathers are simply new feathers that develop after a molt; since they are still growing, a blood supply remains in the shaft of the feather. If they break, it can become a serious injury. Once the feather is fully grown the blood supply dries up and the shaft becomes opaque, like the discarded feathers you find on the ground! :) I couldn’t find a diagram of a blood feather that I liked.. but came across this in my search and loved it. Enjoy! I like this illustration of wing topography as well.