featherwork

thumb|A Hawaiian ‘ahu‘ula (feathered cape). thumb|Aztec feather shield 'meander and sun" (around 1520, Landesmuseum Württemberg) Featherwork is the working of feathers into a work of art or cultural artifact. Practiced in many parts of the world, this was especially elaborate among the peoples of Oceania and the Americas, such as the Incas and Aztecs.

Though some bird populations may have been put under pressure by plume hunting even before Western contact, the late 19th century trade in feathers, especially for ladies' hats in Western countries, drove many species to the brink of extinction; some did not survive at all.