Likely American Crow or Common Raven feather; exact species uncertain

These are compact corvid feathers showing the family’s characteristic dark plumage and sturdy vanes. American Crows are medium-large, intelligent, social blackbirds with broad wings, loud caws, and adaptable foraging behavior.

Charcoal-black to gray-black distal vanes with paler gray-brown basal portions; slight gloss is visible, but lighting prevents reliable species-level separation

Pennaceous vanes with interlocking barbules; the smaller feather has a conspicuous loose, downy aftershaft and some fraying

Central rachises are pale gray to whitish basally and darker toward the tips; barbs are dense distally but loosen markedly near the bases

Smooth, moderately stiff, and faintly glossy on the dark vanes; basal regions are soft and fluffy

Likely wing, inferred from asymmetry, stiff vanes, and dark terminal pattern

Black-gray coloration, pale rachis bases, asymmetrical wing-feather form, and a fluffy basal aftershaft are most distinctive; the image does not show diagnostic features sufficient for certainty

American Crows occupy farmland, woodland edges, wetlands, towns, and suburbs from lowlands to moderate elevations

Resident or partly migratory across most of North America, including Vermont; northern birds may move south in winter

Crows are omnivorous scavengers, predators, seed dispersers, and important nest predators, linking many food-web levels. They remain common and adaptable, though contaminants, persecution, and habitat changes can affect local populations.

Common Raven feathers are generally larger and often glossier; Fish Crow feathers are difficult to separate visually. Grackle and blackbird feathers are usually narrower, more iridescent, or differently proportioned.

American Crows recognize individual human faces and can remember dangerous people for years; they also use communal winter roosts containing thousands of birds.

Crow and raven feathers have longstanding artistic and ceremonial significance, but possession of wild North American bird feathers is generally regulated in the United States under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Search beneath communal roosts, woodland edges, fence lines, and feeding areas, especially after late-summer or autumn molt. Measure the feather and compare vane asymmetry, gloss, rachis color, and size rather than relying on black coloration alone.

Naturally molted and moderately worn, with frayed basal barbs and minor vane damage; no obvious fault bars, parasites, or oil contamination. Condition: Good.

Vermont