August 27, 2011 / Leslie

Weekend Birding: What Is That Ugly Bird?

By the end of August you may notice many of the birds are looking a bit shabby. Bald patches and scruffy looking feathers and even a few pieces of down fluff poking out. There’s nothing wrong with your birds. It’s molting season. After a busy summer of nesting and raising young a bird’s feathers get a bit tattered and worn. Migratory birds have had the added wear and tear of a long journey to their nesting grounds.

Most robins don’t look as bad as this poor guy does. He seemed fine other than being a bit naked. He had a beak full of worms and was on his way home to feed the youngsters. It’s possible this was a first year bird. Their feathers tend to wear out faster than an older robin. This is because their adult plumage grew in quickly after the juvenile plumage molted the prior year.

This sparrow is growing his new feathers for winter. Healthy, clean feathers keep a bird warm and water resistant. The little goldfinches, so bright and beautiful in the summer, are beginning to turn a brownish color.

Poor Mrs. Cardinal wasn't looking too good this day. Her usually perky crown feathers had fallen out, her body feathers are scruffy and her tail looks shredded. This photo is from last year. She looked even worse before her new feathers grew back, but within a few weeks she was looking beautiful again.

Interesting Facts:

Why do birds molt? Because feathers wear out and cannot heal when damaged and need to be replaced.
Feathers are not alive, they are similar to hair or nails in humans.
How often a bird will molt depends on the species but most molt once a year. Some species will molt twice a year, an example is the Goldfinch, and others will do a partial molt before breeding season.
When do birds molt? Growing new feathers requires a lot of energy so molting takes place during less stressful times such as after nesting is complete or before migration.
Usually birds lose only a few feathers at a time and the molting is inconspicuous. Sometimes it’s not a neat, orderly process as you can see from these photos.

For more bird photos check out my previous Weekend Birding posts.

I link up my bird photos on Saturday Snapshot hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.