Feathers in Huxoth Culture

Because the Huxoth believe they were descended from hawks, they build their cities and villages to support hawks and other birds. This includes putting out seed for smaller birds as well as creating ecosystems for the lizards and rodents that larger birds eat. They also try to build outdoor environments which attract birds. Though some Huxoth domesticate birds (often those which have been injured), for the most part, these birds are wild. Nevertheless, many have grown accustomed to humans, and are tame enough that they will eat out of a person's hand.
The Huxoth do not only attract birds because they have a kinship with them, but also because their feathers have religious and symbolic significance. Feathers are the primary object which the Huxoth use to help those who were not naturally born with a talent for wind magic to harness it. This is most clearly seen in the creation of birdheads for their Shagibbing Thop. 
To create birdheads, people collect feathers that have dropped from birds preening themselves, usually bringing them to a religious leader, who inspects them to make sure they are not in any way broken or marred, making them ineffective for this purpose. Once enough feathers are collected, the community works together to fashion them to a conical frame, 2-3 feet in diameter, weaving a pattern that better facilitates the use of wind magic. The birdhead gets its name from its appearance, as a completed birdhead, once fastened to the head of a shagibbing plane, resembles the head of an enormous bird.
Though birdheads require feathers to be immaculate condition, broken or otherwise marred feathers can and are still used in a variety of decorate ways. Women often use feathers as headpieces, and sometimes, particularly with smaller feathers, as jewelry. Feathers are also hung in different groupings above a door to indicate a new house, invite visitors to a celebration, or welcome a new baby to the household. Parents will also make mobiles our of feathers for new babies and many people attach them to pieces of fabric to easily indicate the direction of the wind, which is also culturally significant in Huxoth culture.