Birds that pluck their own feathers - main reasons!

Author: John Stephens
Date Of Creation: 24 January 2021
Update Date: 20 November 2024
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Birds plucking their own feathers is a more common problem than you might think! Although this problem does not occur in free-range birds, it is common in birds kept in captivity. There are different reasons that lead a bird to pluck its own feathers or even mutilate itself!

We know how desperate it is to see your cockatiel or your parrot getting fewer feathers and you not realizing what's going wrong.

Because this problem is very common, PeritoAnimal wrote this article about birds that pluck their feathers and what are the reasons that give rise to this anomalous behavior. Keep reading!

Why does the parrot pluck its own feathers?

The plucking and/or chewing of the feathers and sometimes even the skin itself, is called picacism. This behavior should not be considered a diagnosis, but rather a clinical sign as it can originate from different diseases or problems.


This problem is very common in parrots, commonly called parrots. the order psittaciformes (the parrots) includes different birds from cockatiels, parakeets, cockatoos and large parrots. Some studies have indicated that gray parrots (Psittacus erithacus) they are the feather plucking parrots more frequently[1][2].

Picacismo can have different degrees of aggressiveness. Sometimes, it just starts with a bird chewing its feathers, having more aesthetic consequences. The most common cases are when parrots pluck their feathers. In more serious situations, the bird can even self-mutilate, which can lead to infections. As a consequence, thermoregulation can be altered due to alterations in the normal feather moulting cycles.

If you detected that your parrot is plucking its own feathers, regardless of the severity of the picacism, consult a veterinarian specialist in exotic animals. The sooner the source of the problem is diagnosed, the faster you can start treatment and not let the case progress. Picacismo is a very complex syndrome and especially in cases of behavioral etiology, the treatment can be very complicated and the prognosis worsens considerably over time.


Your parrot may be plucking the feathers for different reasons, the three main ones being:

  • physiological problems
  • Environmental problems
  • Psychological problems

The veterinarian uses data such as the distribution of lesions, the progression of the case and the beginning of the problem to determine the origin. Picacismo typically affects the areas of the body that the animal can access with the beak, namely the chest, at coasts, under the wings and lower members. The bird may be plucking feathers locally or generally. Some birds pluck their feathers from everywhere except the head, the only part of the body they cannot access with their beak.

Why does cockatiel pluck feathers?

Although the appearance of Picacism in cockatiels is less frequent[3], from time to time there are some cases of cockatiels with plucked feathers in the veterinary clinic.


As we have already mentioned, this problem can have a physiological, environmental and psychological origin. Most of the time, there is more than the cause triggering the problem for the cockatiel to be pulling its feathers!

physiological causes

There are numerous physiological or organic causes that can lead to picacism. Before the veterinarian concludes that your bird is pulling feathers for a psychological or environmental problem, he or she will have to rule out all possible organic causes. Here are some examples of possible physiological causes:

  • Allergies
  • malnutrition
  • Hypovitaminosis A or B
  • Fatty acid deficiency
  • liver problems
  • pancreatitis
  • Dermatitis
  • osteoporosis
  • hormonal problems
  • Tumors/neoplasms
  • hypocalcemia
  • genetic problems
  • Impaction of the uropigial gland
  • Viruses: polyomavirus, papillomavirus
  • Fungi: Aspergillosis

Environmental problems

After ruling out possible pathological processes associated with feather picking, the veterinarian will review possible environmental problems. Sometimes, the smallest environmental change can be a source of stress for the bird and start anomalous behavior. If your cockatiel is plucking feathers, it is important that you carefully review how to care for a cockatiel to ensure you are providing it with all the right conditions. An environment with lack of stimuli it is very conducive to the appearance of behavioral deviations such as picacism. Birds in the wild spend most of their time foraging for food. In captivity, food is always available and the birds have to try to occupy their time with other activities. Caring for and cleaning the feathers takes up a small percentage of the bird's day. Some birds, when they have nothing else to do, start having a exaggerated behavior of taking care of their feathers, starting to damage the feathers. When a feather is badly damaged, it is normal for the bird to pluck! Birds hate to have their feathers disorganized and spoiled, they take great care of their appearance. If too much care starts to damage the bird's feathers, it starts plucking and ends up becoming a vicious cycle.

Recently moved the cage and the bird started pulling feathers? Adopted a new animal? Did the bird's routine change? An environmental motif can be as simple as any of these situations.

Psychological or behavioral origin

Some psychological problems have visible behavioral consequences. Like dogs and cats, birds can also suffer from separation anxiety. Birds are very sociable animals and need a lot of interaction. Especially in the case of an individual housed alone (without other birds of the same species), it depends on humans to supply its social needs. If you only have one bird and have little time for her, it is possible that during your absence she will become extremely bored and start pulling out her feathers. This behavior usually occurs as soon as you leave the house.

Another possible cause of the psychological situation is phobias. One phobia defines itself as an exaggerated and inexplicable fear for no apparent reason[4]. Parrots are usually very fearful and are nervous about new people and objects. A phobia is not a simple fear. If your bird panics for some reason and flies inside the cage bumping against the bars, including damaging the feathers, most likely it has a phobia.

Stress is one of the main causes of picacism. In nature, when birds feel threatened for some reason, their first reaction is to flee. In captivity, birds are rarely able to escape once they are locked in a cage. Thus, small factors that stress the bird, such as someone new to the cage or another animal in the house, can frighten the parrot. As the bird has nowhere to run when it gets scared, it channels its stress into another behavior: plucking feathers!

There are countless stress factors in birds. Check out some of them:

  • sleep deprivation
  • Presence of predators (dogs, cats)
  • Kids
  • Too noisy environments
  • Too quiet environments
  • Cage without guarded spaces
  • change in routine
  • Climate change

Canaria plucks the feathers

Although it is not so common, there are other birds that pluck their feathers, such as canaries. In these species, the psychological and behavioral origin is infrequent. This problem is usually associated with other illnesses. One possibility is that it is due to a parasitic disease, caused by lice or mites.

If you have a canary, you must ensure that you have all the necessary care to promote its well-being and consequently avoid the appearance of problems secondary to poor management.

Other Causes of Picacismo

reproductive causes

Sometimes there is picacism associated with the breeding season. Birds pluck their own feathers to accommodate eggs and offspring. This kind of picacism is temporary and for that reason it's not worrying. Typically, the featherless regions are: neck, legs and abdomen. The featherless region of the abdomen allows the bird to have space to welcome and warm the young.

Iatrogenic Picacism

This type of picacism occurs due to a poor handling of feathers. Some guardians of these birds choose to cut their flight feathers. When this cut is not done well, the feathers are damaged. As we mentioned before, birds are very perfectionist with the state of their feathers. For this reason, if they feel that a feather is damaged, it is very likely that they will pull it out. On the other hand, small cages can also damage the bird's feathers and be the cause of the picacism behavior.

As you read, there are many reasons that lead the bird to pluck its own feathers. If your bird is exhibiting this anomalous behavior, consult a veterinarian who specializes in bird behavior. The sooner a treatment is started and the necessary environmental changes are made, the faster the bird will stop plucking its feathers. Unfortunately, this problem is very complicated and sometimes requires months of treatment.

This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.