Photos of feather destructive behavior in "wild" birds

[Birdlover]

I saw this last night on Facebook and thought it was quite interesting. You have to be a facebook member to see it, but I dont think you have to be a member of this group to view the pics.

Avicultural Society of America's Photos - Wild Feather Pickers

 

[Juhi882]

wow....interesting.
wonder what would cause this behaviour in the wild..
i always thought captivity brought in this behaviour in the birds...!

 

[Marlene]

Very interesting Jill. Thanks for posting it.

 

[shellbeme]

Very nice, thank you! I knew I'd heard about parrots plucking in the wild before-it always sorta bugged me because people say it doesn't happen in the wild.

 

[Angelicarboreals]

Glad to see actual pictures that support what I have always heard, that birds do pluck in the wild.

 

[thebirdnerds]

Wow that is very interesting I bet some of that has to do with possible disease or a mate plucking them. I wonder how close to breeding season it was because the conures only plucked to the down (except the tail feathers that was strange), maybe for lining the nest.

Thank You for sharing

 

[Holiday]

I can't see the pics, but I'm glad for this post. I did know that birds pluck in the wild (occasionally) as a result of disease, parasites, or allergic reaction. I had read about a flock of Amazons that had a bad reaction to a type of tree in their area, among others. It's important to acknowledge that there can be a medical cause for plucking so that owners will rule this out with their vet before just assuming that it is psychological or captivity-related.

 

[Djuna]

Great post!

I think some people feel so guilty that their bird plucks and blame it completely on something they may have done wrong, especially when all the medical tests have come back negative.

 

[suncoast]

Last spring I saw a "vulture" Blue Jay. His head was as bald as an... well, egg.

Ginger

 

[JLcribber]

Wow that is very interesting I bet some of that has to do with possible disease or a mate plucking them. I wonder how close to breeding season it was because the conures only plucked to the down (except the tail feathers that was strange), maybe for lining the nest.

Thank You for sharing

Agreed. I'll put money on the cause being something other than behavioral. They look like disease, allergic reactions or a mate doing it to me. Even something in the environment getting on them.

Nesting hens do pluck out chest feathers to regulate egg temperature.

 

[Kimba]

THANK GOD!!!!! people keep telling me I'm wrong for saying that birds pick in the wild. I've always known they have.

 

[Babybreau]

That was very interesting!! Thank you...
That poor female cardinal... obviously not done by her, poor thing.

 

[Tielygirl]

Yes it oes occur but generally there is a reason for it. Has anyone ever seen The wild parrots of telegraph hill movie?? There was a female mitred conure that was released (by someone who didnt want her anymore) and she plucked, I believe that one was her. and the guy that was in the movie knew her well and her mate left her because of the plucking. After he left she quit an most of the folicles had been damaged and the feathers never regrew. I know birds will pluck from disease and/or parasite.

 

[allison]

I think a lot of plucking in the wild probably starts off as for a medical or hormonal reason. Pluckers are pretty rare in the wild compared to captivity; and the cherry head I believe was a released captive bird that plucked in the home and got into the habbit before released (if it is the one I'm thinking of from the wild flock in San Francisco).

Yes it oes occur but generally there is a reason for it. Has anyone ever seen The wild parrots of telegraph hill movie?? There was a female mitred conure that was released (by someone who didnt want her anymore) and she plucked, I believe that one was her. and the guy that was in the movie knew her well and her mate left her because of the plucking. After he left she quit an most of the folicles had been damaged and the feathers never regrew. I know birds will pluck from disease and/or parasite.

Scraperella! She was a cherry head though. There was only one mitred in the flock (Olive I believe).

 

[jmfleish]

I can't see the pictures here at work because we are blocked from FB, but I would bet that it's due to PBFD which is a problem in wild birds, especially in Australia. I'll have to check them out when I get home tonight. Behavioral plucking is not an issue in the wild but that doesn't mean that those of us who have pluckers should feel bad about it. It doesn't mean that we love our birds any less or we did something wrong or that our birds are unhappy. It is what it is and don't let anyone guilt you into feeling anything other than that!

 

[Cory]

I can see why some birds will pluck feathers in the wild to build nests, however other than I'm not *entirely* convinced that wild parrots pluck their feathers just based on these photos.

I guess it depends what birds you consider *wild*. If I'm not mistaken those Mitred Conures are the feral parrots that live in California. Some of them were supposedly released but the bottom line is that they're not in their natural habitat so I wouldn't use the plucking of those birds as true evidence.

I've seen some photos of some wild Cockatoos with feather loss, however the feather loss was determined to be from Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease. Usually it's disease that causes feather loss in wild populations.

Maybe there are rare cases of parrots plucking their feathers in the wild but there are a HUGE amount of parrots in captivity that exhibit feather destructive behaviour. Weather the reason for it is medical, physical, or behaviour it almost always comes down to the fact that the in one way or another the feather destructive behaviour was caused from living in a captive environment.

That's just my opinion but I'm definitely open to hearing other opinions and seeing other evidence as well.

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

Interesting post!

 

[drop]

Thanks for the link, Jill. Very interesting.

. I did know that birds pluck in the wild (occasionally) as a result of disease, parasites, or allergic reaction. I had read about a flock of Amazons that had a bad reaction to a type of tree in their area, among others.

Where had you read that article? I remember reading it too a few years back, but could never find it again. I think it was also in a BirdTalk issue? I was on seasonal allergies of the St-Vincent Amazon, I think.

 

[Bokkapooh]

Agreed. I'll put money on the cause being something other than behavioral. They look like disease, allergic reactions or a mate doing it to me. Even something in the environment getting on them.

Nesting hens do pluck out chest feathers to regulate egg temperature.

Im not a member of facebook anymore Are those cockatoo pluckers?

Mainly sulfur crested? If so, Australia has MAJOR outbreak of PBFD in wild flocks of birds, which would explain the nakedness of the birds. Or they are escapees from former imprisonment.

Breeding birds should NOT pluck their primary chest and other feathers. The ONLY feathers that should (possibly) go missing should be the DOWN feathers. As a naked bird is a bird out of the ordinary and will be a target for predators. So having a belly or head that is typically feathered but is naked amongst others of its kind, marks it as an outcast and predators pick them off.

 

[Archiesmom]

Wow, thanks for sharing the pictures. Intestesting to see that it happens in the wild too.