Ask Lafeber

Cockatiel feathers

My 7 mth old cockatiel has been losing feathers. Is this. Normal at this age?

Hi Jim,

Yes, this is most likely his first adult molt, so the new feathers will have his adult coloration. He will go through one or two heavy molts each year, but still lose the occasional feather year round. As long as he doesn’t have any bald spots, then he is just molting.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda