Do Cardinals Molt?
Cardinals pose various traits, among which molting is one. But some birders, especially beginners, question this trivia; they suspect whether cardinals molt or not. What do you think? Do cardinals molt?
Indeed, they do like other birds. Cardinals molt once every year. They shed their old, damaged plumage and grow stunning, new feathers to conduct flight efficiently, stay healthy, and allure their mates.
However, in this blog post, we will discuss all ins and outs regarding cardinals’ molting. Hence, without delaying more, let’s dive deep inside.
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Do Cardinals Molt Every Year?
Yes, cardinals molt every year. Both male and female cardinals lose all their feathers at once and grow new ones over the course of several weeks.
This process helps them keep their plumage looking bright and vibrant. Molting is also necessary for the bird to replace any worn or damaged feathers.
How Long Does It Take For A Cardinal To Molt?
Molting is a natural process in which a bird sheds its old feathers and replaces them with new ones. This can occur several times a year, and the process is essential for keeping a bird’s feathers healthy and vibrant. But how long does it take for a cardinal to molt?
Molting is an intricate process that requires birdies to spend a lot of energy and time. And speaking of the time, molting in cardinals takes up to eight weeks to lose and grow the new plumage.
How Often Do Cardinals Molt Their Feathers?
Cardinals are a colorful and beloved bird species, and many people enjoy watching them in their backyard. One interesting thing about cardinals is that they molt their feathers. Molting is a process where a bird sheds its old feathers and grows new ones.
It helps to keep the bird healthy and looking good. So how often do cardinals molt their feathers?
Cardinals molt their feathers once a year, usually in the late summer and early fall. These birds shed their old feathers and grow new ones through molting.
What Causes A Cardinal To Be Bald?
A cardinal can be bald due to several reasons. For instance, it might be suffering from alopecia, which causes hair loss.
Another possibility is that the cardinal has been plucking its own feathers out, possibly due to stress or boredom.
Lastly, a cardinal experiences baldness during molting as it sheds all its feathers and grows new plumage.
Why Do Cardinals Lose Their Crests?
Yes, some striking, adorable cardinals lose their crests and beauty. So, what makes them undergo such a phase? We have described all the possible reasons below.
Molting:
All birdies, including cardinals, shed their feathers. Their molting period occurs once every year during late summer and fall. While molting, they lose their old feathers and gradually grow new plumage.
But, in a rare case, some cardinals lose all their head feathers at once during molting sessions. And with that, they lose their pride, the crests.
Parasites’ Infection:
Birds that tend to live in the wild are more prone to get attacked by parasites like lice. This pesky critter sometimes causes birdies to lose all their feathers at once.
Lice become a significant problem for birds during molting time as during this period, birds lose their plumage and allow lice to attack comfortably.
Although birds can prevent lice by preening, they can’t reach their heads, allowing lice to continue with the infestations. As a result, birds lose their head feathers and crests.
Poor Nutrition:
Poor nutrition can be another cause for cardinals to lose their crests. Although they consume a varied diet of seeds, fruits, and insects, sometimes they face food scarcity, and thus their health suffers.
Hence, being a birder, you can help those miserable birds by providing healthy food and fresh water. However, you can accomplish this job by installing a bird feeder and a birdbath in your yard.
So, these are all the possible reasons for cardinals to lose their crests.
Do Female Cardinals Lose Their Feathers?
The answer is yes; they do molt their feathers. However, the molting process is not as extensive as it is for males.
Female cardinals do not molt their body plumage during the breeding season. Instead, they will only molt their wings and tail feathers.
This molting process takes place over the course of several weeks and is not as noticeable as the male’s molting process.
After the female completes her molting, she will have duller plumage than the male. However, she will still catch attention with her beauty.
What Do Cardinals Look Like When Molting?
Cardinals will often look quite scruffy during molting as their new feathers come in. Their plumage may be duller in color, and they may have bare patches where the feathers have not yet grown in.
They can even have dark areas and bald heads. However, cardinals will have a full, vibrant plumage once the molting process is complete.
To Finish Up:
Now you know that cardinals also molt once every year, like all birds. Molting is crucial for all birdies as this process helps them get rid of old and damaged plumage and grow new feathers to fly efficiently, regulate temperature and attract mates.
That’s all for this content; we hope we can provide you with the information you were searching for. Hence, if it helped you enrich your knowledge, we would love to have you as our followers on Facebook, Pinterest & Twitter. Happy Birding.
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