Feathers That Don’t Molt

Found in birds such as pigeons and herons, powder down feathers are never molted. Instead, they grow continuously but disintegrate at the tips into something like a fine talcum powder. The powder permeates the other feathers, presumably to provide waterproofing, although the exact function is not well understood.

This immature black crowned night heron is an excellent example of the sorts of wading birds protected on Stratton Island by the Seabird Restoration Program and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.