Editing Down feather (section)

==Human use==
Down feathers are used by [[indigenous peoples|Indigenous]] North Americans for religious ceremonies and as powerful symbols. In the stories of some cultures, the down feathers of an [[eagle]] are important gifts given by the bird to the story's [[hero]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Indians of Today |first=George Bird |last=Grinnell |pages=74–75 |publisher=Read Books |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4437-6970-9}}</ref> In the [[Ghost Dance]], a religious movement that has become particularly widespread among the [[Plains Indians|Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies]], each dancer holds a painted feather tipped with a down feather painted with another color; the feathers are generally those of a [[crow]], which is sacred to the Ghost Dance, or an eagle, which is ubiquitously sacred.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Ghost Dance Religion and Wounded Knee |first=James |last=Mooney |year=1973 |location=Mineola, NY |publisher=Courier Dover Publications |page=919 |isbn=978-0-486-26759-3}}</ref> [[Zuni mythology|Zuni]] [[prayer stick]]s are also made using eagle down. While eagle feathers belong to the Sun Priest, who plants them to the sun, other priests could use them if rain was needed, as the down is said to suggest "fleecy clouds that gather on the horizon before rain". The [[Hopi]] rub eagle down feathers over [[rattlesnake]]s collected for Snake Dances, in an effort to soothe and calm the reptiles.<ref>{{cite book |title=Kachina Tales from the Indian Pueblos |first=Gene Meany |last=Hodge |page=57 |location=Santa Fe |publisher=Sunstone Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-86534-184-5}}</ref>

[[File:Eider.a.duvet4.jpg|thumb|A female [[common eider]] sits on her nest, surrounded by down feathers.]]
Anglers who [[Fly fishing|fly fish]] have long used the down feathers of waterfowl for the construction of [[artificial fly|fishing lures]]. Because they are white, down feathers can be easily dyed a variety of colours. They are used to make the bodies, tails and wing casings of the flies.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hellekson |first=Terry |title=Fish Flies: The Encyclopedia of the Fly Tier's Art |date=2005 |publisher=Gibbs Smith |location=Salt Lake City, UT |isbn=1-58685-692-8 |page=90 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zaP74hiL3hIC&pg=PA90}}</ref> Historically, much of the down used for the flies came from the wing and tail of the [[marabou stork]]; these feathers were also popular with the [[millinery]] and dressmaking trades.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/marabou |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127211501/https://www.lexico.com/definition/marabou |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 January 2020 |title=Marabou |publisher=Oxford Dictionary |website=Lexico.com |access-date=17 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Elizabeth J. |last1=Lewandowski |year=2011 |title=The Complete Costume Dictionary |publisher=The Scarecrow Press |location=Lanham, MD |page=186 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PeXfpsvFyysC&pg=PA186 |isbn=978-0-8108-4004-1}}</ref> Though it is still called by the same name, today's "marabou" (sometimes spelled "marabout"), comes from domestic turkeys, as marabou storks are protected.<ref>Hellekson (2005), p. 91</ref>

For centuries, humans across the globe have used down feathers for insulation. Russian documents from the 1600s list "bird down" among the goods sold to Dutch merchants,<ref name="Johnsgard">{{cite book |title=Earth, Water and Sky: A Naturalist's Stories and Sketches |first=Paul A. |last=Johnsgard |author-link=Paul Johnsgard |publisher=University of Texas Press |location=Austin, TX |isbn=978-0-292-74059-4 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/earthwaterskynat0000john/page/119 119–120] |year=1999 |url=https://archive.org/details/earthwaterskynat0000john/page/119 }}</ref> and communities in northern Norway began protecting the nests of [[eider]] ducks as early as 1890.<ref name="Roth">{{cite book |title=Wildlife Resources: A Global Account of Economic Use |first1=Harald H. |last1=Roth |first2=Günter |last2=Merz |year=1997 |publisher=Springer-Verlag |location=Berlin |page=363 |isbn=978-3-540-61357-2}}</ref> Eiders are still "farmed" by people in Iceland, Scandinavia and Siberia. The birds are provided with nest sites and protected from predators, and down is collected intermittently during the nesting season without harming the nests or female ducks. The first collection is made roughly halfway through the incubation period, when some {{convert|0.75|oz|g|abbr=on}} of high quality down is removed per nest. When the eggs have hatched and the young have left the area, the remaining down and breast feathers are gathered, typically resulting in another {{convert|0.75|oz|g|abbr=on}} of lower quality feathers per nest.<ref name="Johnsgard"/> In general, 50–60&nbsp;nests will produce about one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of down feathers.<ref>{{cite book |title=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |volume=137 |issue=4 |year=1961 |page=628 |publisher=Zoological Society of London}}</ref> No more than four [[tonne]]s of eiderdown is collected from wild nests each year.<ref name="BP-20210731">{{cite news |last1=Richard |first1=Jeremie |title=Iceland, home to world's most expensive feather treasure |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2155027/iceland-home-to-worlds-most-expensive-feather-treasure |access-date=31 July 2021 |work=Bangkok Post |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=31 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="Randall">{{cite book |title=The Outward Bound Staying Warm in the Outdoors Handbook |first=Glenn |last=Randall |page=[https://archive.org/details/outwardboundstay00glen/page/63 63] |year=2000 |publisher=Lyons Press |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-1-58574-089-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/outwardboundstay00glen/page/63 }}</ref> Approximately 70% of that harvest is from Iceland.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Croiser|first1=Susan|title=Collecting Eiderdown in a (Polar) Bear Market|url=https://www.hakaimagazine.com/article-short/collecting-eiderdown-polar-bear-market|access-date=3 November 2017|work=[[Hakai Magazine]]|date=3 November 2017|archive-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107024100/https://www.hakaimagazine.com/article-short/collecting-eiderdown-polar-bear-market|url-status=dead}}</ref> According to the [[International Down and Feather Bureau]], eiderdown contributes only a small, but lucrative, portion of the world's total down production, estimated at 175,000 tonnes annually.<ref name="BP-20210731" /> An eiderdown [[duvet]] requires from 600 to 1,600 grams of eiderdown fill; a simple 800 gram duvet sells for about 640,000 [[Icelandic króna]] (US$5,116) as of 2021.<ref name="BP-20210731" />

[[File:Beverley Owen 1964.JPG|thumb|left|Down feathers are sometimes used as decorative trim on clothing.]] 
In Iceland and Scandinavia, colonies of more than 5,000&nbsp;birds sometimes develop in "farmed" areas, while in some protected areas of the [[Novaya Zemlya]] archipelago, nest densities exceed {{convert|13,000|/ha|/acre}}.<ref name="Johnsgard"/> On the other hand, the more nomadic indigenous peoples of Arctic Canada did not see down production as a reasonable source of income and tended to overexploit eider nests with "indifferent" collection of down feathers from the nests.<ref>{{cite book |title=Browsing Science Research at the Federal Level in Canada: History, Research |first=Brian B. |last=Wilks |page=210 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |location=Toronto, ON |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-8020-8811-6}}</ref>
Although the down feathers of various species of [[wildfowl]], [[gull]]s and other [[seabird]]s have historically been used for insulation, most now come from [[domestic geese]].<ref name="Roth"/> Some 70&nbsp;percent of the world's supply comes from China, typically from birds killed for their meat. Most of the rest comes from Europe and Canada, from birds harvested for meat or [[pâté]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=From Bird to Bag |journal=Backpacker |date=December 1995 |pages=68–72 |volume=23 |issue=146 |first=Mark |last=Jenkins |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4d4DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA68}}</ref>

A portion of the world's supply of down feathers are [[Plucking (hair removal)|plucked]] from live birds,<ref name="Hanson">{{cite book |title=Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle |first=Thor |last=Hanson |year=2011 |page=288 |isbn=978-0-465-02013-3 |publisher=Basic Books |location=New York, NY|title-link=Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle}}</ref> a practice condemned as cruel by [[animal welfare]] groups.<ref name="Villalobos">{{cite web |publisher=Veterinary Practice News |url=http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-practice-news-columns/bond-beyond/down-with-live-plucked-down.aspx |first=Alice |last=Villalobos |title=Down With Live-Plucked Down |access-date=17 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331000748/http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-practice-news-columns/bond-beyond/down-with-live-plucked-down.aspx |archive-date=31 March 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The precise percentage of down harvested in this manner is uncertain; while some references report that it is only a small fraction of the total (less than 1% in 2011),<ref name="Hanson"/> a 2009 Swedish documentary reported that it might be as much as 50–80% of the total supply, a figure supported by [[IKEA]] and an industry representative, but disputed by organizations within the industry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.china.org.cn/business/news/2009-02/10/content_17252371.htm|title=China down industry disputes Swedish reports – china.org.cn|website=www.china.org.cn|access-date=3 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://responsibledown.org/te-responds-to-peta-allegations/|title=TE Responds to PETA Allegations|website=responsibledown.org|access-date=3 April 2018|archive-date=20 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820140955/https://responsibledown.org/te-responds-to-peta-allegations/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The documentary also shows birds lying on the floor with large flesh wounds from the plucking, after which the wounds were stitched using a needle and thread without anesthetic.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://awionline.org/awi-quarterly/2009-fall/down-goose-and-duck-farm | title=Down on the Goose and Duck Farm|access-date=10 August 2012}}</ref> Although live-plucking is illegal in Canada, the United States and Europe, it is known to occur in two European countries (Poland and Hungary) and in China.<ref name="Villalobos"/> Public sentiment against the practice has, in some countries, been strong. IKEA and clothing manufacturer [[Patagonia, Inc.|Patagonia]] have altered product lines to eliminate the use (or possible use) of live-plucked down.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/files/pdf/73/45/7345593a/ikea-on-animal-welfare-fy18.pdf |title=Our view on animal welfare |first=Sharla |last=Halvorson |publisher=Inter IKEA Systems |year=2019 |access-date=3 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.patagonia.com/our-footprint/traceable-down-standard.html |title=Global Traceable Down Standard |access-date=1 May 2021 |publisher=[[Patagonia, Inc.]]}}</ref>

In the United States, [[Federal Trade Commission]] regulations require that any product labeled "100% Down" must contain only down feathers, while products labeled simply "Down" can contain a mixture of fiber and feathers. In addition, products labeled as "Goose Down" must contain at least 90% goose down, 10% goose feathers.<ref name="Randall"/> Down insulation is rated by [[fill power]], which is the number of cubic inches displaced by a given ounce of down (in<sup>3</sup>/oz). To measure fill power, an ounce of down is placed into a [[graduated cylinder]], and a small weight is dropped in on top of it; the volume below the weight indicates the fill power. Eiderdown has the highest fill power, at 1200.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022|reason=The referenced Glenn's 1957 book only mentions "according to some reports, eider down can loft 1,200 cubic inches" – that's not a proper source at all.}} However, even down with a fill power as low as 550 still provides reasonably good insulation.<ref name="Randall"/> Higher fill-power downs will thus insulate better than lower fill-power downs of the same weight. Insulation in most outdoor equipment ranges from about {{cvt|400|to(-)|900|in3/oz|cm3/g}}. Down rated {{cvt|500|-|650|in3/oz|cm3/g}} is warm enough and light enough for most conditions, and {{cvt|800|-|900|in3/oz|cm3/g}} fill is used for very lightweight and/or very cold-weather gear.

Down is warm, lightweight and packable. If well cared for, it retains its loft up to three times longer than do most synthetics.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Backpacker |date=March 1994 |title=Sleeping Beauties |volume=22 |issue=130 |first1=Dave |last1=Getchell |first2=Steve |last2=Gorman |pages=103–123}}</ref> However, when it is wet, the thermal properties of down are virtually eliminated. Down forms clumps if exposed to dampness or moisture, and will mildew if left damp. In addition, it will absorb and retain odors.<ref>{{cite book |title=Fundamentals of Search and Rescue |first =Donald C. |last=Cooper |page=89 |publisher=Jones and Bartlett Learning |location=Sudbury, MA |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7637-4807-4}}</ref>

Down feathers tend to become more allergenic as they age, as they become contaminated with [[Mold (fungus)|mold]]s and [[dust mite]]s. Pillows provide the most common source of exposure, though mattresses, [[comforter]]s, [[outerwear]] and [[upholstery]] can also cause problems.<ref>{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Allergies |url=https://archive.org/details/allergiestoz00myro |url-access=registration |publisher=Facts on File |location=New York, NY |first1=Myron A. |last1=Lipkowitz |first2=Tova |last2=Navarra |page=[https://archive.org/details/allergiestoz00myro/page/111 111] |year=2001}}</ref> A Finnish study has shown that true feather allergies are rare, with most issues caused by dust mites.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Allergy |volume=53 |issue=2 |pages=159–164 |last1=Kilpiö |first1=K. |first2=S. |last2=Mäkinen-Kiljunen |first3=T. |last3=Haahtela |first4=M |last4=Hannuksela |title=Allergy to Feathers |date=February 1998 |doi=10.1111/j.1398-9995.1998.tb03864.x |pmid=9534914|s2cid=24094370 |doi-access=free }}</ref>