Waterfowl have three types of feathers: contour, flight, and down. Contour feathers collectively serve as a protective outer shell.

The feathers on geese or ducks are the outer covering of the bird. Down lies beneath this protective covering – usually on the belly of a bird – and is light and fluffy. It provides the insulation birds need to keep warm. Rather than quills, a down cluster has a round center called a plumule.

Down feathers, by contrast, are the soft, fluffy feathers that sit closest to the bird’s skin. These keep birds warm by trapping a layer of air next to their skin and are used to make comforters, pillows, jackets, and other products.

Down With Down Although most down is removed from ducks and geese during slaughter, birds in breeding flocks and those raised for meat and foie gras may endure the trauma of plucking every six weeks before they are eventually killed. But no matter where it comes from, down is a product of cruelty to animals.

Also referred to as “responsible” or “green” down, ethical down refers to plumage plucked from ducks and geese without causing undue harm. Both these standards are voluntary, which means suppliers and brands can choose to certify their down, even if they have no legal obligation.

Conventionally, birds used for down are born at parent farms where they can stay up to four years as they lay eggs and are plucked for their feathers as many as four times a year (pdf). When they are ready to be killed for their meat, the birds are moved to slaughterhouses.

The poultry meat industry (i.e. turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese) produces a very large amount of feathers as a by-product. As a consequence, craft store suppliers can manufacture and sell craft feathers at very low cost. These feathers may be of questionable quality, but they are certainly real and affordable.

There are no artificial feathers in existence that look like real feathers; even the ‘faux feather hair extensions’ look far more like artificial hair than they look like feathers! There are no man-made feathers that look, feel, and move like a real feather.

So, if that feather were dropped from far enough away, could the force do some serious damage to the hypothetical person standing underneath it? Luckily, YouTube channel Brass Tacks provided an answer. That answer is, yes.

The most common fake peacock feathers material is plastic. Feathers—some of which are ripped from ostriches’ skin while they’re fully conscious—are used in costumes for the Moulin Rouge and festivals like Brazil’s Carnival, as well as in feather dusters, boas, and accessories.

the male peacock sports about 150 of the long “eyed” peacock tail feathers with which most of us are so familiar. These feathers are shed annually during the molt and gathered as a valuable “crop” in many countries through its range. These feathers are actually long extensions of the upper tail covers.

As the demand for peacock plumes grows, naturally shed long tail eyed feathers are simply not enough and peacocks are increasingly killed – a single peacock normally sheds or moults 150-200 feathers annually. It is unlikely that people catch wild peacocks, pull out their feathers and let them go.

“Peacock feather can bring in lots of happiness and good luck only if it has been taken from the bird without violence, otherwise the feather is not likely to work in a positive way,” told Dr Raviraj Ahirrao, Co-Founder Vastu Raviraj to HZ. He also told the importance of keeping peacock feathers at home.

On average, peacock feathers can cost anywhere from $2 to as much as $70 for a pack of 100, depending on the factors mentioned above. For example, a 12 pack of natural peacock feathers retail for $5 to $13, while a 100-pack of peacock eye feathers, measuring more than 35 inches, can retail for $75 to $90.

Peacock Feathers, 12/Pack – Walmart.com – Walmart.com.

So, their primary market value lies in the male’s feathers and the birds themselves. With an average sellable feather output of 175 per male per year, you’re looking at $875 to $1,750 a year maximum income from each male peacock you own.

When the male peacock spreads his tail feathers to create a spectacular fan of blue and green, the illusion of large penetrating eyes are displayed. Not only do these eyes attract mates, but they also scare away potential predators, like snakes or large wild cats.

Peacock feathers are thought to be unlucky. According to British Bird Lovers, the eye markings on the feathers reminded early Mediterranean people of the evil eye of Lilith, the she-devil they blamed for any child’s unexplained death.

In Eastern Europe, peacock feathers are traditionally a symbol of bad luck because they were once worn by the invading Mongols in the 13th century. By contrast, peacocks were royal symbols for the kings of India.

The term “peacock” is commonly used to refer to birds of both sexes. Technically, only males are peacocks. Females are peahens, and together, they are called peafowl.

Lioness