Feathers serve various purposes: flight, thermoregulation, protection against climatic and environmental threats, and seduction of partners. Without feathers, birds in the wild cannot survive.

 

The means by which a bird grooms itself is called preening. It uses its beak to carefully replace the sheaths and barbs and its feet to pluck the feathers around its head and neck. It is also not uncommon for birds to use an object to preen. Mutual preening is also common in paired birds.

 

Preening, which is normal grooming of the plumage, must be distinguished from plucking, which is the mutilation of the plumage.

 

In the middle of this spectrum, we find normal grooming of the feathers.
To the left, the bird does not maintain its plumage.
To the right, the bird over-grooms its plumage and can damage it (plucking).

 

What is plucking?

 

It is important to understand that plucking is an extreme and indirect means of grooming feathers.

 

In the most advanced cases, the parrot tears out its feathers from all accessible areas of its body. In the majority of cases, only the chest and stomach areas are bare.

Plucking can be a continual or episodic activity: the bird can let new feathers grow and within several hours will tear everything out.

 

Plucking of feathers is a form of obsessive and destructive behaviour in which all or a portion of feathers are methodically torn, cut, broken or in certain cases simply damaged. This behaviour often prevents the growth of existing feathers or the development of new ones.

Plucking is not difficult to recognise: feathers are damaged and mutilated, the naked skin is visible while the feathers on the head are spared and always appear intact and perfect except when the bird’s head is plucked by its cage companion(s). Captive birds that groom one another can sometimes take the behaviour to the extreme.

Plucking differs from moulting which is a normal physiological process. Old feathers are shed then replaced by new ones. The frequency of moulting varies depending on the species and individual bird and on climatic and geographic factors. Adult birds moult at least once per year.

There is a very small difference between taking a feather in the beak to preen it (preening) and cutting it in the middle or tearing it out completely (plucking).

For different reasons, the bird picks up the dropped feathers and destroys them. This behaviour can lead to the removal of feathers not yet shed and to plucking. This underscores the importance of caring for one’s bird and distracting it with “toys” to chew on.

Most birds seem destined to pluck. However, plucking is rarely observed in Amazons and parakeets. These repeated and continual traumas lead to infections and prevent scarring of the concerned areas.

Causes of plucking:

The causes of plucking can be medical or non-medical.

Among medical causes, plucking can be the result of changes in hormone levels or a fungal or bacterial infection of the skin or feather follicles, although external parasites (like lice) are extremely rare in captive birds. Non-medical causes depend on psychological factors and/or stress.

 

Plucking is mostly associated with captivity. In fact, wild birds are more focused on their own survival and reproduction. However, captive birds deal with stress that wild birds will never know. Captivity, malnutrition, the absence of companionship eliminating all possibility of courtship rituals — these are all stress factors to which we can add confinement in a house (noise, agitation, the presence of other pets).

 

Like humans, birds are creatures of habit, and any change — be it big or small — in their environment and habits can stress them. This stress can often result in behavioural disorders such as introversion and plucking.

How can plucking be treated and prevented?

 

The plumage abnormalities resulting from plucking are a real therapeutic challenge for the veterinary practitioner. There is no quick or easy solution to combat stress- or psychology-induced plucking.

Some possible solutions:

1) Pet cones made of an opaque material create an artificial barrier between the bird’s beak and feathers. Cones treat the symptoms (plucking and the mutilation of feathers) but do not eliminate their cause. In fact, these braces can themselves be a source of stress for captive birds and prevent them from grooming themselves normally. They should only be used if absolutely necessary to stop the mutilations, a possible haemorrhage, or when all else has failed.

If your veterinarian has not determined the medical cause and that boredom is considered the main cause of the plucking then you must consider some changes.

2) Increase the time you devote to your bird, which will reduce its propensity for plucking its feathers.

3) Sometimes, the simple fact of moving the bird, or even just changing its perch, is sufficient. The suitability of the change depends on the bird and its previous conditions of detention. For example, an African Grey (a frequently timid and suspicious bird) will be much happier in a calm and safe spot than in a noisy and busy area of the house.

However, a cockatoo (docile, affectionate, and rather gregarious) that lives isolated and starts to pluck its feathers will be best moved into a busier room.

For birds that live in a small cage or a tight space, it could be useful to give it more space.

If the bird does not get enough rest, it must be placed in a calmer habitat.

 

4) Misting or bathing, on a daily or regular basis, can be beneficial because a wet plumage encourages normal grooming. The objective is that the bird spends more time at preening its plumage than at chewing or tearing out its feathers.

5) Boredom can also be controlled by providing a wide variety of food. Priority should be given to foods that require time to be consumed (unshelled seeds, nuts, hard beans, macaroni, etc.) and those with a variety of colours, sizes, different and attractive textures, etc. Such food is recreational for the bird who spends more time eating and less time plucking.

6) The same is true of toys. The widest variety should be given to the bird, such as ropes, solid chains, pieces of hard wood, mirrors, etc. They must be adapted to the size of the bird and its destructive capabilities. The toys should provide the bird significant stimulation and diversion. Natural wooden toys, non-toxic tree branches with leaves (fruit trees, eucalyptus, pine cones, etc.) can be provided for the bird to examine, chew and destroy. These tree branches must be cleaned beforehand and made free of pesticide or herbicides residue. These objects should be a source of exercise for the bird: a rope is ideal, as is a box with holes that the bird can go through and explore. Radio or television can be left on to entertain the bird and occupy his other senses.

A bird that plucks itself needs to have its attention diverted from its regular habits.

 

7) Most of the time, plucking is a behaviour in birds that are alone, in a cage, and sexually frustrated and isolated. It is easy for an owner to ignore a pet bird’s sexuality because the actual gender of the bird is often unknown. In most cases, captive birds do not have sexual dimorphism or phenotypical characteristics to differentiate them. However, they secrete powerful hormones (testosterone, estrogen) that can affect their behaviour.

In the wild, these hormonal changes lead to the choice of a mate through a courtship ritual. Unfortunately, the solitary bird does not have the same opportunity. The resulting frustration can lead to feather-plucking.

Some scientists claim that plucking is influenced by hormonal secretion for developing the brood patch, the underside area that transfers heat and facilitates incubation. In captivity and in the absence of reproduction, plucking and tearing out the feathers are unproductive and become obsessive even if the hormone levels drop.

 

Some birds respond well to the injection of progesterone at the onset of plucking.

Mating the bird is not always a feasible solution. The owner can try to reduce sexual stimulations (place a mirror, toys, etc. in its cage).

 

When one has many birds, plucking may also be due to the presence of those other birds. If such is the case, isolate the bird to relieve its stress and the intensity of its plucking.

8) Popular remedies against plucking exist. Sprays that use natural essences (bitter apple, eucalyptus, etc.) and prevent the bird from chewing its feathers, the use of recommended tranquilizers to treat chronic plucking, the placing of birds of the opposite sex in another room so that the bird cannot hear the other’s cries, can help against plucking.

Unfortunately, these various remedies are not completely effective. They merely “mask” the symptoms without treating their cause. It can nevertheless be useful to try them to help relieve the bird’s suffering.

9) Another solution has also been suggested: by no means should one cut the bird’s wings, especially the flight feathers. Although the "size" of the feathers does not affect the appearance of the bird, cutting them can lead the bird to mutilate wider and longer feathers (the bird quickly discovers that it still has intact feathers that it may in turn damage) or chew its cut flight feathers. These mutilations fray feathers that will not be shed at the next moulting and will then tend to remain indefinitely.

If you choose not to cut the flight feathers, you are responsible for letting into your home a bird with its full flying capabilities. Think carefully!

In the case of chronic plucking, carefully examine your bird and its environment. You can then devise a "behaviour programme". A veterinarian familiar with birds can help with the implementation of this programme. Changes in the bird’s environment can effectively reduce stress levels and even completely treat plucking.

A veterinarian familiar with birds can guide and advise you effectively.

In some cases of severe feather plucking, there will unfortunately be no solution. The damage to and destruction of feathers, as well as follicles following repetitive traumas to the skin, are such that the loss of feathers is permanent or feather regrowth becomes abnormal. These “pet” birds are unmanageable and difficult to control. The best would be to place them in a breeding farm or sanctuary, a difficult decision for an owner devoted to his/her bird.