Ask Lafeber

Molting for only a day?

My one and half years old male cockatiel molted heavy(30+ feathers) for a day. And I saw may be 4 or 5 feathers the next day. What I saw most of them on the FIRST day were Covert feathers (medium small size), two Crest, one Tail feather and very Tiny feathers(1-2cm long). He is doing ok! And I tried to contact nearby vets. But they are of no use! Could you tell me how many days does molting usually occur at a single stretch and what is the average feathers loss(like how many feathers loss per day)? Is this normal ? I’m very concerned!

Hi Priyanka,

If you found all of these feathers in the morning, then he may have had what is called a night fright. This can happen with any bird, but seems to be very common with cockatiels, particularly the white or lutinos. Basically something causes the bird to get startled in the night and it will thrash around, usually resulting in a lot of feather loss. There have been many theories about the cause but no formal studies. Birds can go through a heavy molt and lose a lot of feathers daily. As long as there are not bare areas, then it is probably normal feather loss from molting or a night fright. There are no numbers as far as how many a day are normal –  it varies with each bird. As long as he is acting fine and eating well, I wouldn’t be too worried about it. He may be a bit grumpy through the molt, but once it is over he should be back to his normal self.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda