Birds of a Feather

When reading Austen novels and or fan fiction, I noticed there are many mentions of birds: gentlemen shooting birds or out with trained falcons, dining later on the foul, and later encountering a woman with ostentatious feathers in her headdress. These are details that make me go, “Hmm.”

I learned these details are not simple world-building but accurate. For instance, in the country, estates had chickens for both the fresh eggs and the source of meat. It is also true that more than a few houses likely had parrots, parakeets, and other birds that were kept indoors as pets. In fact, an oft-mentioned poet, Lord Byron, kept a parrot.

I also discovered that there are fourteen types of geese native to England. The left-winged feathers of the White Goose provided the most popular of quill pens, as per my post last year, The Bygone Art of Letter Writing. Though, if I am honest, I cannot imagine why the left-winged feathers of the Tundra Goose or the Pink-footed Goose would not have been equal to those of the White Goose.

But what I really wanted to know is whether ostriches were raised in England, given how the lady’s headdress feathers were taking up space in the sword case at the back of a carriage, per Regency Fashion: How a lady accommodated her head feathers at the end of the 18th century by Vic. I had much to learn, for the feathers were of ostrich, emu, goose, or peacock, though some of these would have been imported as they are not listed as native birds. However, I have since learned many ostriches were housed in the Tower of London as one of the animals of the Royal Menagerie.

Day-to-day encounters with birds were not just on walks. They were part of everyday observations in Regency England as well as in sport, pets, exotic exhibitions, the menu, and more.

Sources for Birds of a Feather

Staple Photo: Landscape with Exotic Birds and Two Dogs by Jakob Bogdány, (1724).

Vic “Regency Fashion: How a lady accommodated her head feathers at the end of the 18th century” Jane Austen’s World, December 5, 2010 Regency Fashion: How a lady accommodated her head feathers at the end of the 18th century | Jane Austen’s World (janeaustensworld.com)

Vic “Animals in Jane Austen’s Novels” Jane Austen’s World, July 6, 2021 Animals in Jane Austen’s Novels | Jane Austen’s World (janeaustensworld.com)

Wikipedia “List of birds of Great Britain” List of birds of Great Britain – Wikipedia