MAKE MY FEATHERS LIKE TRAVOLTA'S CHEST (option 2 the reverse travolta)

September 5, 2024 11:38 AM

If you've seen a bird looking worse than usual or maybe just a little out of sorts for its species, there's a good chance it's molting season for that particular bird, especially as summer winds down. Penguins may experience molts of wrath or just look a bit moth-eaten.

Adventures in bird molt, a lecture. Title of post taken from the molts of wrath link.

posted by spamandkimchi (9 comments total)

great post! Dr Buzzard hardly talks to me for like a month when he's molting. Here he is after having a post-molt bath.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:15 PM on September 5 [4 favorites]

There is a molting cardinal hanging out in my back yard presently, and wow, he is ANGRY AT THE UNIVERSE.
posted by humbug at 1:30 PM on September 5 [5 favorites]

Molting is revolting
posted by St. Peepsburg at 3:37 PM on September 5

Terrific post. Just recently I witnessed a Catbird with the naked head thing going on, and a likewise bald Blue Jay at my feeder. They do look so silly like that.
posted by annieb at 6:17 PM on September 5

Ahhh, I've seen a lot of bald magpies around recently, and I just assumed that the absolutely savage summer weather was making them sick. Hopefully they are just changing into their winter outfits.

EDIT: I just googled it and the molting magpies on the web look just like the birds I've seen around here. Nice, now I don't have to feel mildly bad about them anymore! YAY!
posted by Literaryhero at 6:25 PM on September 5 [1 favorite]

This is a fascinating post, thank you!
posted by tiny frying pan at 7:36 PM on September 5

(And now I'll forever wonder about how much the birds are physically miserable and how much they are bummed out because they don't look pretty. I'm certain it's both! Birds losing their zest while they molt. Wow.)
posted by tiny frying pan at 7:38 PM on September 5

We have ducks and a goose. They always seem so miserable when they are molting. I am just glad they never molt when it is terribly cold outside here in Michigan.
posted by toddforbid at 7:42 PM on September 5

Many waterfowl like ducks and geese can't even fly when they're molting, as they do so many feathers at once. That's commitment!
posted by mollweide at 7:47 PM on September 5