Bird feathers are interesting to examine up close, but there is some risk involved in handling any part of a wild animal. So, how much risk is involved in handling bird feathers?
Bird feathers are safe to pick up. Most diseases spread by birds come from contact with the feces, not the feathers. However, you should still wash your hands after handling any part of a bird, and you should not keep the feathers. Native bird feathers are illegal to keep in the U.S.
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Why It’s Usually Safe To Pick Up Bird Feathers
Generally, it’s safe to pick up bird feathers that you find on the ground unless you live in an area known to be affected by avian influenza, which is highly contagious.
Most diseases spread by birds come from contact with the feces, not the feathers, and parasites carried by birds are mostly species-specific.
This includes avian influenza. However, some diseases are so contagious and serious that you should be wary of touching any part of a bird.
To be safe, wash and sanitize your hands after touching bird feathers, as there is some risk to handling any wild animals or wild animal parts.
This is especially true if the part may have come from a sick bird.
How Do Diseases Spread From Birds to Humans?
Most diseases spread by birds come from contact with the feces.
Although, there are also diseases spread by inhaling bird dander, like allergic alveolitis (also known as Pigeon Lung Disease).
Be careful when entering enclosed spaces that may house birds’ nests, like attics and barns. Consider wearing a mask that filters particles as small as 0.3 microns.
Salmonellosis and other feces-borne diseases often make their way to humans through the air vents of buildings.
When birds leave droppings on air conditioners and ventilators, the dust from the droppings is sucked into the air vents and then spread throughout the building.
This includes on food and cooking surfaces and is often how people unknowingly ingest these pathogens.
Salmonellosis can also spread through contact with sick or dead birds, so make sure to wear disposable gloves if you must handle a potentially infected bird directly.
Diseases can also spread through birds that peck on cow manure and land in a food or water supply.
This kind of transmission often happens in rural areas, and it can spread diseases like E.coli.
How To Avoid Diseases Spread by Birds
The most important thing to do to avoid catching a disease from birds is to wear gloves when handling birds, feeders, or birdbaths.
If you want to handle a bird feather, you’re best off doing so with a disposable glove on.
However, if this isn’t possible, just make sure you wash your hands afterward to reduce infection risk.
Bird feeders are a common breeding ground for avian diseases, so keep your feeder clean and dry as much as possible.
You should clean your feeder at least every two weeks in the winter and every week in the summer using a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water.
If you find dead birds near your bird feeder, take the feeder or feeders away for at least two weeks, cleaning them and the feeding area thoroughly before setting up again.
This routine will reduce the risk that disease will spread among birds or to humans.
Why You Generally Shouldn’t Keep Bird Feathers
Even though it’s usually safe to pick up bird feathers, it’s important not to take them home to keep.
Native birds in the United States are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which prohibits possession of any part of these birds, including the feathers.
Taking bird feathers from the ground also keeps them from naturally decomposing into the soil.
Normally, this would allow them to break down into usable nutrients for nearby plants and bacteria.
If you want to keep bird feathers, you should ensure that you’re gathering them from non-native species.
If you’re using them for compost, make sure you mix the compost appropriately to get the most benefits out of the feathers.
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act is an agreement between the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, and Mexico to not take, hunt, or capture birds native to the United States.
This includes the possession of bird parts, like feathers.
This act was originally put in place to protect migrating birds subjected to mass hunting driven by hat makers and quill pen users.
Today, its main purpose is protecting birds from open oil pits, transmission lines, and other industrial developments.
Otherwise, these areas would be constructed without protective mechanisms in place.
Thanks to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, we see companies implementing protective measures, like netting to cover oil pits and keep birds from falling in.
Over the years, this act has saved numerous bird species from extinction, including the Sandhill Crane, the Wood Duck, and the Snowy Egret.
Although the impact of taking home one feather may seem small, the law protects these birds from exploitation on a massive scale, so it’s important to keep in mind.
Failure to comply with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act can result in fines in accordance with the severity of the crime.
How Bird Feathers Naturally Decompose
Bird feathers naturally decompose after a few months.
If you keep chickens or other birds, you can even collect the feathers shed by your birds and put them into a compost pile, provided that you wear gloves and handle them carefully.
Bird feathers are rich in nitrogen, which makes them ideal for green composting materials.
Green materials, which also include coffee grounds and vegetable peelings, can be mixed with brown materials in equal measure to create a rich mix of nutrients for your garden.
Brown materials include dead leaves, straw, and paper products.
Bird feathers are so rich in nitrogen that some gardeners will intentionally seek them to boost their nitrogen supply.
They will open up and repurpose the insides of down pillows or contact factories that make down products and ask for leftover feathers.
