GOOD GRIEF! What Happened to That Cardinal!?

Are you suddenly seeing very “messy” looking birds at your feeders? Not to worry, the birds are not sick and they haven’t been attacked, it’s molting season…that time of year when our backyard birds shed their old, worn feathers for fresh new feathers. Over time a birds feathers weaken and wear out from constant exposure to the elements, from flying, from preening, even from rubbing up against tree branches and other birdie activities.

Every year at the end of breeding season, our songbirds begin to slowly replace their worn feathers with stronger feathers that help them remain more aerodynamic. The new feathers also help them stay better insulated through the upcoming winter months and in the spring be more attractive to help them catch the eye of potential mates.

To ensure that birds remain able to fly and protect their bodies from hot days or cold nights, feathers molt in a symmetrical pattern across wings, tail and body. Some birds, primarily Blue Jays, Cardinals and Grackles can loose all or most of their head feathers simultaneously, resulting in completely bald or nearly bald-headed birds – like the Cardinal in the photo! These head feathers usually grow back in about a week or so, but in the meantime the birds can look very strange. Don’t worry; it’s all part of the normal molting process.

You can greatly help your birds during the molting season by feeding them nutritious foods rich in protein. Feathers are made of more than 90% protein, primarily keratin, the same protein that the human body uses to create fingernails, toenails, hair and the top layer of skin. Some high-protein foods include sunflower seeds and chips, nyjer, mealworms, peanuts, tree nuts, all our No-Mess bird seed blends, and Jim’s Birdacious® Bark Butter® products. The same Nesting SuperBlend™ seed cylinders, loose food and SuperSuet™ that you may have been feeding your birds this past nesting season also make for a SUPER high-protein food for the molting season.

Molting birds may seem “messy” for a few weeks, but just think, after that they’ll be dressed up in a fancy new outfit of beautiful, strong feathers! Nature sure is amazing!