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"Blood" feathers are immature feathers that still have a blood supply to the shaft. You can spot them by the dark- colored shaft, as opposed to the white or clear shaft of a mature feather. Also, they will usually be shorter than surrounding feathers and not completely "spread out." If you cut one or it breaks, it will bleed profusely and not really heal, so over a period of days as the feather constantly gets knocked around and moved, it will bleed again and again, and the bird can actually die of blood loss.