Silent Night
Posted by Christina Hill on October 7, 2002
Q: How many feathers do the adult owls have all together?
A: Christina
The number of feathers that an owl has depends on many factors but probably no two owls have the exact same number. Just as you probably don't have the same number of hairs on your head as a sister or friend in school, no two owls have exactly the same. But, I can give you some numbers of bird feathers other than owls. Some scientists actually counted the numbers from the following birds to come up with a total. One Ruby-throated Hummingbird had 940 feathers, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet had 1,119, an Eastern Meadowlark had 4,915, and a Whistling Swan had 25,216 feathers on its body. Remember too, that birds have more feathers in cold seasons than in warm seasons so these numbers will vary during the year. Sorry, but I didn't find any feather numbers for owls.
John Wiessinger ( March 13, 2002)