Feather Plucking Part 1: Feather Plucking or Molting?

Important Note: 

If your parrot has started plucking and you’re reading this to find out what to do, skip this and go to "Part 2: Help! My Parrot is Plucking Its Feathers. What Should I Do?" But before you read it, GRAB YOUR PHONE AND CALL YOUR AVIAN VET! In Part 2, I will discuss more emergency solutions to protect your parrot.

Don't have an Avian Vet? Click here to find one.

This is Part 1 of a 5 part mini-series about feather plucking in parrots. Be sure to subscribe so you won't miss this really important series.
Part 1: Feather Plucking or Molting?

Part 2: Help! My Parrot is Plucking Its Feathers. What Should I Do?

Part 3: Feather Plucking Observation Guide

Part 4: All Your Questions Answered About Feather Plucking

Bonus: How to Make a Fleece Collar AKA "Plucking Poncho"

Feather Plucking 101

My parrot, Kiwi, The Skateboarding Parrot struggles with feather plucking. In fact, that is why I trained him to ride the skateboard...but that's a story for another post. Every time we go out, I get asked questions about feather pluckers. In this series, I am going to answer some of those questions and share with you other important things you need to know. If you have a plucker, you know how bothersome it can be and I hope you find this information helpful and encouraging. If you don't have a plucker, you need to know this information so you can be prepared.


There are 5 parts to this series and as a bonus, there are 11 videos to go along with them! Be sure to like and share. If you have a feather plucked, we would love to see your pictures. Be sure to post a comment.

What is Feather Plucking?

The phrase "Feather Plucking" is often used interchangeably with over-preening or self-mutilation. However, all of these are different types of Feather Damaging Behavior (FDB).
Feather plucking is when a bird damages or removes their feathers.
You may see a bird that looks unhealthy or almost entirely bald except for its head (because it can not reach its head to pull out the feathers).
One or more of the following usually causes of feather plucking is:

• physical or medical problems,
• environmental factors, and
• behavioral or psychological reasons.

Because all of these Feather Damaging Behaviors are commonly referred to as Feather Plucking, in this series we will usually call it "Feather Plucking."

Types of Feather Destructive Behaviors

Barbering and Shredding:

Barbering and shredding is when the bird chews on the ends of the feathers. Some birds will chew the feathers off a little bit at a time, never completely removing the feather. It might affect just the barbules or the shaft itself. In its most severe stage, the feather would be shortened to just a little piece of the shaft coming out of the skin. The feather in the picture has moderate barbering, It is missing the tip of the shaft and the base of the shaft has been plucked. If you look closely, you will notice there is even a little blood in the shaft.
In a mild case of barbering, you may find little pieces of barbs (the colored part of the feather).

Plucking:

Feather plucking is when the birds completely remove the feather by pulling it out at the base of the shaft. If you look close, you can distinguish plucked feathers from molted feathers. In the picture the feather shaft on the right is smooth; this feather was molted. the two feathers on the left have ridged shafts because they were forced out and chewed; these feathered were plucked.
The condition of the feather is the key indicator. Sometimes a parrot may pluck so gradually you won't realize it until all the vaned (colored) feathers are gone. It's always a good idea to keep an eye on the feathers you find and check if they were plucked or molted.

Self-mutilation:

In severe cases, the birds will self-mutilate soft tissue areas on their breasts, legs, and backs causing sores and bleeding. Tissue damage can be so extensive that the wounds never heal and these open sores become an ideal breeding ground for bacterial infections. On occasion, even after getting the wounds stitched, the bird would open up the stitches to continue hurting himself. In the most tragic cases, birds will self-mutilate until death occurs from bleeding.

Over-Preening

Over-Preening occurs most often during preening seasons. When a parrot is preening but ends up prematurely removes a feather. This sort of behavior causes very gradual deterioration. It's always a good idea to take pictures of your parrot often so you can compare them to see if they may be thinking their feathers.

What's So Bad About Feather Destructive Behavior?

1. Progression:

"If the situation is not dealt with, the problem becomes progressively worse.” A bird that starts out just clipping the top half of a feather or two may begin yanking out whole feathers from the shaft. The bird may get such a kick out of pulling one feather out that it decides to pull out another and then more and more. Soon it may be bald.

2. Physical / Mobility Problems:

"If your bird has a bald chest and its tail and wing feathers are missing, it can suffer some physical problems, The bird might crash onto the floor and can split its chest wide open. It could get an infection, or there could be other complications. Just sewing these birds up and trying to get them to heal without them ripping everything out is a real challenge.” Even if a bird doesn’t fall and get injured that way, bare skin may very well be the next thing the bird bites after the feathers are gone
(Cathy Johnson-Delaney, DVM).

3. Sign of Illness:

"Feather destruction or mutilation is not something you should ignore.” If you notice any missing feathers or destruction to the skin, he recommends you take your bird to the veterinarian for a full medical workup to rule out any disease or health problems that may be causing your bird to pluck itself. If it turns out that the bird has a bacterial or fungal infection, it may be a simple matter of just treating the bird with the appropriate antibiotic or antifungal medication (Gregory Burkett, DVM).

4. Sign of Deficiency:

A parrot that’s been plucking due to nutritional deficiencies may just need to be switched over to a more balanced diet. It may be a simple matter of installing a humidifier to add some moisture to the room or removing the fluorescent lights and putting in "flicker-free” light bulbs. If the bird is plucking because it is allergic to something in the air, you may need to install air filters to reduce airborne allergens. If the problem is a hormonal imbalance, an anti-hormonal drug injection can be given to reduce hormone levels; it may need to be given again every year when the breeding season rolls around.

5. Permanent Damage:

Repeated feather plucking (not barbering) over a period of time can cause permanent follicle damage, thus preventing these feathers from ever returning.

6. Feathers Are Pretty!

You can't deny the beauty of a properly feathered parrot. The bright plumage just can't compare!