Molting is the process of replacing worn feathers with new ones. What a job! Imagine having to keep each feather just right to stay warm and fly.īut, when a feather becomes worn, tattered or broken over the course of the year, it becomes difficult to align all of the remaining barbs. ![]() Your bird is making sure that each and every barb on each feather is clean and laying correctly. You've probably observed your bird preening and cleaning its feathers each day. Why do birds molt?įeathers are a bird’s prized possession. Healthy feather regrowth requires a stable source of protein, calcium other other nutrients and minimal environmental stressors. Keep in mind that a molt takes place over a few weeks or longer and the process is rather taxing on your bird. The small, downy feathers that are used for insulation tend to be shed year round. What you, as a bird parent, will notice is several intact, shed feathers on the floor or bottom of the cage over the course of several weeks, several of which look very similar. If the shaft is chewed up or splintered, it may indicate that your bird is engaging in feather destructive behavior rather than molting. You can see the actual tip of the feather. By intact, we mean a feather containing the entire shaft. Generally, you’ll see intact feathers lying on the bottom of the cage. In other words, the same feather on the right side of the body is lost on the left side of the body. For flight and insulation purposes, a bird sheds its feathers symmetrically and only a few at a time. Mature feathers surround baby pin feathers to protect each feather from damage and blood loss. Bald patches leave an individual feather vulnerable to breakage. Against popular thought, birds don’t get bald patches with a molt. ![]() Molts occur over a period of several weeks. based households can’t replicate the natural sunlight needs of a tropical parrot without a full-spectrum light set up.įeathers are generally shed before and breeding season to take a bird through harsh weather before the next breeding season. Modern windows filter out UVA & UVB light spectrum to conserve energy and prevent your furniture from fading. If your bird only sees light from modern windows or is outside only occasionally, its molt will be unusual. Birds have an internal clock in their brains that is set by natural sunlight! Molting is actually triggered by UVA and UVB lights existing in natural daylight or present high quality artificial full-spectrum bird lights. Molting is the process of shedding old and tattered feathers for new ones. And then, our pet birds, that aren’t exposed to natural sunlight may molt at odd times. The length of time it takes to complete a molt is variable from species to species, too. Different species molt at different times based on the season, breeding season, migrations and nutritional needs. Pet birds molt at least once, but possibly twice a year usually right after breeding season. After all, your birds feathers are its greatest possession. Understanding molting is an important part of pet bird care. Is your bird losing its feathers? It may be molting.
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