Animal Care Associates, Inc
840 Oakwood Road
Charleston, WV 25314
304-344-2244

Feather Picking - Introduction

One of the most frustrating and disconcerting conditions of caged birds is feather picking. Moreover feather disorders rank as some of the most difficult and challenging conditions to diagnose and treat in avian veterinary practice. Bird owners frequently scrutinize their pets, and feather problems are usually readily detected. Other clinical conditions of caged birds are much less obvious and are, therefore, less frequently detected.

Most people purchase or otherwise acquire a pet bird because of their physical attraction to the bird, its general appearance, feather color(s), vocal abilities or its personality. Most bird owners prefer feather perfection. When a bird begins to pick at, pullout or mutilate its feathers, its physical appearance and overall attractiveness are greatly diminished, causing great anxiety on the part of its owner. Some of the bird owner's frustration results from a lack of understanding of what motivates the bird to behave in this destructive manner and what can be done to stop the behavior .
 

Feathers and Preening

Feathers have a variety of functions: flight, temperature regulation, protection against environmental and climatic extremes, and courtship displays (colorful feathers, selective erection of certain feathers, etc.) Without feathers, wild birds could not survive. Therefore, careful and regular attention to the feathers and their condition is vital. The process by which a bird grooms itself is called "preening". It will use its beak to condition and water-proof its feathers and to meticulously remove the sheaths through which all new contour and flight feathers emerge. Birds use their feet and claws to perform this latter function on contour feathers located on the head. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for birds to rub against various objects in their immediate environment to perform this function. Mutual preening is common among cage mates. Normal preening behavior must be distinguished from feather picking and feather mutilation.
 

What is Feather Picking?

Feather picking is an obsessive, destructive behavior pattern of birds during which all or part of their feathers are methodically pulled out, amputated, frayed, or in some other way damaged. This behavior often prevents normal feather growth and emergence.

Molting is the normal physiologic process by which old, worn feathers are lost and subsequently replaced by new ones. The frequency of this event varies with the species and the individual, as well as with climatic and geographic factors. In warm areas, most caged birds drop a small number of feathers intermittently throughout the year and have 1-2 heavy molts each year. The process of molting must be distinguished from feather picking.

Feather picking is not difficult to diagnose. Affected birds look very much the same. Regardless of the pattern of feather loss, damage and/or mutilation, and exposed bare skin below the neck, the head feathers are spared and always appear perfect and untouched. This is, of course, because the bird cannot reach its head feathers. The one notable exception to this is the bird whose feathers are picked by a cage mate. As mentioned, birds caged together often engage in mutual preening. This behavior can become obsessive and destructive, resulting in feather picking. In these cases the head feathers of the "victim" are not spared.

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