menu

Since the 20th century, scientific ornithology has been closely linked to the conservation of birds. The study of feathers is a factor that is often overlooked. In museums, the majority of their bird skin collections are archived, stored away in drawers under lock and key and only ever seen by a very selective audience and not the general public.

You only love what you know, and you only protect what you love.
Konrad Lorenz

Being able to touch, feel and study a feather in the hand engages people, especially children, with nature; what child hasn’t stopped to pick up a feather in a park or their backyard and marvel at it, and wonder what bird it came from. From a long, slender Arctic Tern primary, which has undertaken an incredible migratory journey of around 37.000 miles / 60.000 kilometers from pole to pole, to the soft, downy feather of a Barn Owl, helping the bird to fly on silent wings as it hunts at night; every feather has a fascinating story to tell, each so unique in its makeup, shape, form, texture, color and function it serves to the bird. Feathers can teach us so much about birds and how they live. They bring people closer to the natural world – and therefore play an important role in its preservation.

Featherbase is a working group of German feather scientists and other collectors worldwide who came together with their personal collections and created the biggest and most comprehensive online feather library in the world. Using our website, it is possible to identify feathers from hundreds of different species, compare similarities between them, work out gender or age-specific characteristics and look at the statistics of countless feather measurements. In contrast to the conventional work of museums, Featherbase is much more oriented towards the general public, allowing not just enrolled scientists the opportunity to gain access to the collection, but anyone with an interest in studying birds and their feathers. Featherbase also frequently collaborates with scientific or educational organizations by offering images, data or teamwork in general.

Featherbase works completely independently, without administrative affiliation, and first and foremost without commercial interests. We are a non-profit making entity and funded entirely by our own contributors. The collecting of feathers and skins for our database is approved by the relevant authorities, and for any protected/CITES listed species held, we are fastidious about maintaining records of their origin.

2061
species
7856
specimens
18884
images
117765
measurements

recent changes

new species image

Andreas Stumpner uploaded a new species image for Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)

new species image

Andreas Stumpner uploaded a new species image for Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)

new species image

Andreas Stumpner uploaded a new species image for Eurasian Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula)

new specimen

Benjamin Großheide created the specimen 11171 in Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11169 in Rock Thrush (Monticola saxatilis) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11168 in Rock Thrush (Monticola saxatilis) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11167 in Gray's Grasshopper-Warbler (Helopsaltes fasciolatus) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11166 in Middendorff's Grasshopper-Warbler (Locustella ochotensis) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11165 in Middendorff's Grasshopper-Warbler (Locustella ochotensis) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11164 in Pallas's Grasshopper-Warbler (Locustella certhiola) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11163 in Pallas's Grasshopper-Warbler (Locustella certhiola) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11162 in Savi's Warbler (Locustella luscinioides) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11161 in Savi's Warbler (Locustella luscinioides) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11160 in River warbler (Locustella fluviatilis) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11159 in River warbler (Locustella fluviatilis) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11158 in River warbler (Locustella fluviatilis) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11157 in River warbler (Locustella fluviatilis) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11156 in River warbler (Locustella fluviatilis) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11155 in River warbler (Locustella fluviatilis) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11154 in River warbler (Locustella fluviatilis) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11153 in River warbler (Locustella fluviatilis) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11152 in River warbler (Locustella fluviatilis) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11151 in River warbler (Locustella fluviatilis) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11150 in River warbler (Locustella fluviatilis) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11149 in Common Grasshopper-Warbler (Locustella naevia) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11148 in Common Grasshopper-Warbler (Locustella naevia) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11147 in Common Grasshopper-Warbler (Locustella naevia) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11146 in Common Grasshopper-Warbler (Locustella naevia) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11145 in Common Grasshopper-Warbler (Locustella naevia) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11144 in Common Grasshopper-Warbler (Locustella naevia) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11143 in Common Grasshopper-Warbler (Locustella naevia) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11142 in Common Grasshopper-Warbler (Locustella naevia) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11141 in Lanceolated Warbler (Locustella lanceolata) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11140 in Lanceolated Warbler (Locustella lanceolata) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11139 in Lanceolated Warbler (Locustella lanceolata) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11138 in Spotted Bush-Warbler (Locustella thoracica) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11137 in Chinese Bush-Warbler (Locustella tacsanowskia) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11136 in Chinese Bush-Warbler (Locustella tacsanowskia) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11135 in Asian Stubtail (Cettia squameiceps) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Alexander Haase created the specimen 11134 in Cettis Warbler (Cettia cetti) for Wolf-Dieter Busching

new specimen

Benjamin Großheide created the specimen 11133 in Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata)

new species image

Andreas Stumpner uploaded a new species image for Wood warbler (Phylloscopus sibilatrix)

new species image

Andreas Stumpner uploaded a new species image for Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)

Random specimens