Bird Molting and Mites

• Posted on 15 August 2024
• By Bobbi Wright
• Posted in bald bird, bald birds, bird molt, missing feathers, mites, molt, molting
• 0

Let's talk about bird molting and mites and what the differences are.

Around Mid July and into August as birds are starting to think about migration, (which really does start in July) before they go, birds must go through a molting process, where they lose their feathers and grow new ones in order to have strong feathers to get them to where they need to go. This process looks a little different across the different types of birds but for now, we'll talk about songbirds. 

You might notice one day that the cardinal or blue jay at your feeder looks more than a little worse for wear. Almost like they've gone out on some sort of drunken bender the night before and the hangover has resulted in them looking like they've been through a ringer! This is usually a sign of molting season. Birds lose their feathers and replace them, usually in a certain sequence, to replace old feathers with new ones. This does take some time, and a significant amount of energy for the birds, and so during this time you may also notice your feeders are quieter than normal. This can be a combination of ample natural food sources, but it's also likely a sign that the birds, who are molting are sticking closer to the trees for protection. During molting, their flight skills are hindered and so they don't tend to go too far as this process takes over. But by the time rolls around for them to leave if they are going south for the winter, their new plumage is in top form and ready to do the job to get them where they need to go.

Another condition that resembles molting are head mites. Birds are only capable of preening out mites on their bodies and wings and if head mites take up residence they do enough damage to the head feathers that you'll notice a bird that is weirdly bald. If it's bald during molting season, molting is likely the reason. But if you notice a baldie when it's not molting season, mites are likely the cause and the poor bird must wait for molting season, for the new feathers to regrow. Don't worry, the head feathers don't impact its flight ability, just maybe it's ego and your funny bone!

To help support them at this time, offering premium food sources to up their access to protein will help them with the resources needed for building their new feathers which are made from keratin, much like our finger nails.

Happy Backyard Birding!

Here is another good resource to learn more about molting from Audobon.