Melanin

 When you find a feather on the ground, it has probably been molted naturally after a full year of use. If it’s an outer wing feather, like these gull feathers, you might notice that the black tip of the feather is largely intact while the surrounding white parts are far more worn.
 This is partially due to the presence of the dark pigment, melanin, which also makes the feather more resistant to wear and tear. Many species have dark wing tips because it is advantageous to have melanin toughening up the most exposed part of the wing! Melanin is the same pigment found in human skin that creates our large range of skin tones. David Sibley
I think I knew this and forgot. Worth repeating.

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