Female biting her feathers?

[Sula]

Lately I noticed that our female Ekkie is biting something under her wings. I’ve never seen that before and I wonder why she’s doing that! She doesn’t bite her feathers in any other places. She seems to start moulting, so maybe it’s uncomfortable?! I have no idea. Maybe you have seen something like this before. I enclosed some pictures. Thanks for your help

 

[Monaco]

Hiya, Monaco does this. Hers appears to be an irritation, and has been relieved as she let her primaries grow. They used to be clipped, and she would chew the edges to soften them, then would get chunks of the nearest feathers, and the cycle continued despite not being clipped by a human for two years. It was obvious they were irritating her sides, and those would then be preened to try to alleviate it.

I think I see some feather sheaths, but I can't get the pictures to enlarge. She may be trying to get those shed, and getting some irritation on her sides. If it continues beyond the molt, I would make an appointment to see the vet and check her diet for any excess soy and vitamin a. Breeding season is not helping things either, since that's an excellent place to get a little down for the nesting urges...whether she's actively nesty or not, it's built into the biology.

 

[Sula]

Okay, thank you very much for your explanation! She has been checked by an avian vet recently and she is perfectly healthy, but I guess I’ll just see how the situation is after moulting.

 

[Monaco]

Okay, thank you very much for your explanation! She has been checked by an avian vet recently and she is perfectly healthy, but I guess I’ll just see how the situation is after moulting.

Happy to help, keep your eye on it. If it gets worse, definitely call your vet. Some can develop allergies or build up vit A, and that can show up as irritation/inflammation they try to alleviate by overpreening and plucking.